Aeolus, Book One
by mstrmoe
Summary: Aeolus leaves the world of the gods to help search for the missing Master Bolt of Zeus. Instead, his journey leads him into uncharted territory as he befriends demigods and becomes tangled in a shocking and disturbing evil plot.
1. Chapter 1: I Accept a Quest

Chapter One: I Accept a Quest

My name is Aeolus. If you're thinking this is an odd name for a person, you'd be correct. I am a god (yes, fully fledged god, #fullgodstatus). Not God with a capital G, but one of the many Greek deities. I, along with the greats like Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon and many others, rule the domains of this world. I care for the winds. I am a minor god when compared to the twelve Olympians, but a god nonetheless.

My domain has its headquarters on the massive floating island of Aeolia. Back in the days of Greek civilization, it was located in Western Anatolia. As the center of Western Civilization shifted from empire to empire, the gods, Olympus, and my floating island moved as well. We were in Rome, England, Germany, France, and Spain. Currently, the island drifts above the United States, where the heart of Western Civilization rests.

The island is made of purple stone, spread as wide as a mortal American football stadium. Cliffs of rock ring the edges of the island, and the main field is split into four gardens, one for each season and each wind (north, south, east and west). My castle rises out of the center, surrounded by brass walls. It is here that I head my operation. On the first level, wind spirits, or aurae, man a massive electronic weather control center, specially reserved for use by the gods. When a god or goddess desires a certain element of weather in a certain area, they send in their request and it is processed and turned into reality here. It also provides a point of contact for the four gods of the wind: Boreas, Zephyros, Notus, and Eurus. They each rule one wind in their own domain, and report to me. At the center of the room, the four winds converge, and you can hear everything from around the world carried on the wind.

The second level, my favorite, is the location of the Olympian Air Route Traffic Control Center, or OARTCC as it's called. Any immortal, demigod, monster or otherwise non-mortal air traffic is controlled there. It's staffed by skilled wind nymph employees, proudly handling over 200,000,000 aerial operations daily.

The third level houses my personal rooms and quarters. My wife Iphimedia, our twelve children and I make our home here, although anyone rarely stays for a long period of time. We are always off, traveling the four corners of the globe, checking on the winds and wind gods. We always like to maintain an active lifestyle.

The fourth and final level was originally used as a dump for everything lost to the wind. Anything that was caught in a gust of wind eventually ended up there, and it was incredible to see everything that mortals and immortals would lose. I could always learn a lot by simply looking at what was lost. Recently, however, this level was converted into a film studio. A few entrepreneurial children of Hermes created a new sitcom TV show called "Weather Every Twelve" where I try to balance all the weather requests of the gods live, broadcasted on Hephaestus TV. Of course, I have never actually acted in the show (much to the producers' disappointment), it's too ridiculous. They've settled for hiring a double to play me instead, and I am content to not get involved with it as long as they don't destroy anything. As a result, I rarely visit the fourth level.

Overall, I run an impressive operation on the island. The mortals have no idea it exists, thanks to my cloud disguises and a side-effect of magic know to some as the Mist. It distorts what mortals perceive, and if they do see the island they usually dismiss it as an airship. There was one incident where a particularly sharp mortal saw the island and incorporated it as a location called Cloud City into a movie. We went to great lengths to convince the audience that this island was a work of fiction. Besides that, the world of the gods and the world of mortals peacefully coexist, at least on Aeolia.

Peace, unfortunately, is rare in the realm of the gods. The Olympians, the twelve major gods, are almost constantly at war, and it is never a contained event. Mortal wars mirror the wars of the gods, and no one in this world or the next is safe when the gods declare war. For the world, the Second Olympian War officially began on June 24, 2005. The great Titan Kronos stirred and began to gather his forces for his revenge on Olympus. For me, the war began the moment Zeus personally called me to Olympus.

My visits to Mount Olympus were almost always negative. One god or another was always complaining they hadn't received their weather request, or they changed their mind about what weather they wanted. Zeus was especially hard to please; he was always changing his mind, and he refused to submit his requests electronically. This time, however, I was uneasy for another reason. All of Olympus had been thrown into chaos when, during a meeting of all the gods on the winter solstice, the Master Bolt of Zeus had been stolen. The Master Bolt was Zeus' symbol of power, and he promised war if it was not returned by the summer solstice. I thought this might somehow be related to our meeting.

When I arrived at the throne room on Olympus, it was empty except for Zeus. That was strange; I always saw at least one satyr or other minor deity there. This time, there was no one. Zeus was standing by his throne, an awe-inspiring chair formed from pure platinum in the center of the room. When I entered, he did not look up.

"Aeolus," he began. His voice sounded soft, unusual for the god of lightning. "I have a request."

"Is this another weather change?" I asked, "Because you know, we have that new electronic system."

"Not exactly. This is of a different nature." He turned to face me, and sat in his throne. "You know of the events of the winter solstice, I presume?"

"Of course, Lord Zeus. Everyone does," I told him, and I knew where our conversation was headed.

"I need you to go back to the camp," he said.

"Back?" Exactly what I did not want him to say. "Lord Zeus you can't mean… " I stuttered.

He nodded and my eyes grew wide.

"I – I don't do that anymore, I'm sworn from it. I haven't been back to that camp since the last time," I told him, nearly pleading.

Zeus continued to look at me.

"Surely you understand the pain, she was your daughter!"

His eyes darkened.

"Besides, they already know me," I finished, as if that closed the matter.

"Exactly, Aeolus. That is why I asked you. I need someone they trust, I need someone to find out who took my bolt," he told me simply.

"You want me to spy on the demigods?" I asked incredulously. The demigods; the children of gods and mortals. "I can't do that."

"You will only have to find the bolt and return it. I already have others who are helping, but you are the only one who will be able to enter the camp unnoticed. Besides, think about what I am asking. If the bolt is not returned by the summer solstice, I will have no option but to go to war. The demigods will be thrown into the middle. If you find the bolt, if you find the lightning thief, there is a chance we can avoid a battle. I do not want to fight. It will not be spying, simply averting a war that will cost many lives." He was right; lives could be saved if the bolt was simply returned.

"My lord, I want to respect your wishes, but this is such a high order. At least grant me some time –"

"So be it. I will wait 24 hours, after which I expect my response. I pray you do not disappoint." Zeus disappeared in a flash of lightning and a thunderous boom.

My heart pounded in my ears. I needed a place to think. Without thinking, I teleported myself through the winds. I found myself standing at the entrance to Aeolia. I sat on the edge of the floating island, staring down at the landscape below. I did not want to refuse the most powerful Olympian, but I couldn't return to Camp Half-Blood, the home of the demigods. The last time I had been there, I disguised myself as another camper named Leo, and tried to help three demigods and a satyr named Grover (half-man and half-goat) reach the camp safely. We were almost within the boundaries when things turned sour. The daughter of Zeus, a girl named Thalia, let the other two demigods and satyr escape, while she held off the attacking monsters. I tried to help her, but when I attempted to summon my powers, I suddenly found myself weak and ineffectual. I could render no help and watched as Thalia was overtaken. She could not defeat the monsters, and was killed that night. Zeus, in a rare move of love and pity, transformed her body into a tree to preserve her spirit.

I never forgave myself for that. I should never have gotten involved, and I felt responsible for her death. I pledged to never get so involved in demigod matters. Afterwards, I learned that fate, or the Fates to be exact had stopped me. These three beings controlled the fate of every person on earth, and there was no god or goddess who could interrupt what they determined. What happened that day, I was told, was destined to be, and I could not change it. After all, she was just a half-blood and that they die all the time, or so the other gods tried to tell me. I tried to convince myself of that, but I couldn't erase the image in my mind of Thalia on the hill, struggling to fight the Furies and hellhounds.

A voice from behind stirred me from my thoughts. "Aeolus?" I turned; it was Iphimedia

"Hello," I responded glumly, and turned back to the sky.

"What are you doing there, sitting by yourself?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

"Just trying to think," I told her without looking at her.

"Think, huh? Why don't I join you?" She sat down next to me, and gazed off into the distance like me. We sat in silence like this for a few moments before I spoke.

"Iphimedia, as gods we control this world, right?" I asked.

"That's correct." she replied, giving me a strange look.

"So if something is bad or evil or harmful, and we have the power to stop it, don't we have an obligation to?"

"Of course," she said, starting to understand the conversation. She knew about the night on Half-Blood Hill.

"But why, then, when I've tried to help and stop death, I can't?"

"Aeolus, you cannot control fate. Sometimes, a person's suffering and even death may be unavoidable. But no matter what, you must always do what you believe is right, regardless of what anyone else says or does." she responded quietly.

I looked at her. "Thank you, Iphimedia. You have cleared much confusion for me"

"I am glad to have been of service, dear."

"You have always been a great guide to me," I told her, smiling.

"What was that all about, anyways?" she asked me cautiously.

"Well, Zeus proposed something to me."

"Go on," she said.

"He wants me to go back to camp and find the bolt. He says we can avoid war if I find the bolt."

She was silent for a moment.

"Do you believe him?" she asked finally.

"What?"

"Do you believe what Zeus told you about avoiding war?"

"Of course, he said it himself," I said, as if it were obvious.

"Well," she started, "If you believe it's true, you should do it," she told me firmly.

I thought it was strange that she would ask me if I believed Zeus, but her affirmation was all I needed. I nodded in agreement.

"Just one more thing," she said, her voice suddenly sounding strained.

"What is it, Iphimedia?" I asked, my voice now filled with concern.

"How long?" she asked, her voice breaking.

"I… I don't know, but not long. A week, at most," I said.

"Promise?" She sounded so sad; I had never heard her like this before.

"I… yes, I promise. What's going on?"

"Er, nothing, nothing."

I knew she was lying, but I didn't pry. I put my arm around her and she leaned her head into my chest. We sat together and watched as the sun set over the mountains of Pikes Peak, her favorite spot.

The next day, I came back to the throne room on Olympus well ahead of the 24 hour deadline, but Zeus was already waiting. He looked at me expectantly.

"Well, what is your answer?" he boomed.

"Lord Zeus, I have considered your proposal carefully and have decided to accept it." Zeus had a look close to relief on his face.

"Aeolus, before you begin I have a few words of caution. In the event you are discovered, I cannot reveal my involvement, and will deny any claims of us ever talking. I will not be able to help you." I couldn't understand why he was warning me about needing help if I was just going to spend time with some demigods. It didn't sound like a dangerous assignment. He continued, "At no time are you to contact me in any way regarding this, unless you have obtained the bolt. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Lord Zeus. I hope my assistance will be of some help to you." I replied.

"I do appreciate this, Aeolus. Chiron and Dionysus will of course be aware of your presence, but they will not know the reason." Chiron, a centaur, was the activities director at the camp. Dionysus (or Mr. D as he was called there) was the camp director. "I must leave now, but I wish you all the best of luck and success!" Again, Zeus disappeared in a blinding flash of lightning, leaving me alone in the throne room of Olympus.

The Saturday I arrived at Camp Half-Blood, the grounds were nearly empty. It was late spring, but most of the campers did not arrive until school ended in summer. I proceeded to the Big House, the main administrative building on campus and also where Chiron and Dionysus stayed. I was disguised as a regular camper, wearing an orange shirt that read "Camp Half-Blood", but Chiron and Dionysus recognized me instantly.

"Look who's back. I'm just so happy to see you," Dionysus said sarcastically, in his typical style.

"Aeolus! It's nice to see you. We've been expecting you. Although I thought you wouldn't be returning," Chiron said.

"It was not my intention to come back, but certain… circumstances arose, which I cannot discuss," I told them.

"Looks like Mr. Windy City is now Mr. Secret," Dionysus chimed in.

"Ah no matter, Aeolus. We've already prepared a place for you to stay. You'll be in Hermes' cabin, as an unclaimed demigod," Chiron told me.

"Thank you, Chrion."

"You can help pick some strawberries in the morning. Might as well put you to work if you're going to be here," said Dinonysus.

"I appreciate your... hospitality, Dionysus. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find my spot in the cabin." I took my small suitcase and turned to march out towards the cabins. I was a bit annoyed with Dionysus at this point. Honestly, I had never enjoyed spending time with Dionysus. Out of all the gods, he was the most insufferable. His behavior had been particularly unbearable since he arrived at Camp Half-Blood; acting as the camp director was his punishment from Zeus. I'd just have to grin and bear it though, as the mortals say.

When I got to the cabins, I was disappointed at the state of Hermes' cabin. It looked old and worn down, and in a state of disrepair. Hermes' cabin is the 11th of 12 cabins at the camp. There is one for every Olympian. I don't have my own cabin because I'm not a major god, and I haven't sired a demigod.

I stepped into the cabin cautiously. The wood creaked under my feet. The entire cabin was empty at the time, and I guessed all the occupants had gone home for the year. I found myself a spot on the far side by the window to claim my own. From there, I could always hear the wind blow and this reminded me of home. I unpacked my small suitcase. It had some mortal clothes and a few packs of ambrosia, the food of the gods. Demigods usually stuck to eating mortal food, as the food of the gods could be deadly to them in large amounts. As I surveyed my meager belongings in an old, rickety cabin, I thought it might be difficult to adapt to a mortal lifestyle. I just had to remind myself I was working for a worthy cause. I rolled out my small sleeping bag, laid down, and fell asleep to the sound of wind rustling through the trees.

The next morning, I was awoken promptly at 5 in the morning by the sound of movement outside the cabin. My head shot up, and I looked around, expecting Ares or some other god to pop up out of nowhere. Apollo had a really nasty habit of surprising you when you least expected it. The door creaked open, and I could see a tall male figure in the doorway. He had his sword drawn and pointed at me.

"Get up!" he yelled. "Who are you?" he asked, shoving the point of the sword towards my face. I brushed the sleep out of my eyes, and took a closer look at him. He seemed to be someone I recognized.

"Luke?" I asked. He seemed surprised that I knew his name. He took another look at me.

"Gods, Leo is that you?" he said, finally recognizing me. He dropped his sword. "You scared me! I camped out last night and when I got back I thought someone broke into the cabin. I had no idea you were coming back" he said. Luke was one of the demigods that was with Thalia that night.

"Neither did I, my friend." We shook hands. "It's good to see you again, Luke."

"Same to you, Leo. So what brings you back to the camp? And the Hermes cabin at that?" he asked. It was time to make up a story.

"My scent was getting too strong, and monsters started to attack." I said. Monsters could smell the scent of demigods, and it got stronger as the demigod got older. "I decided it'd be safer to come to Camp Half-Blood. And I'm just staying in the cabin until I'm claimed." The story sounded reasonable enough. Any demigod that hadn't been claimed by a god or goddess as their child stayed in Hermes' cabin. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Luke cautiously opened it. A bleary eyed satyr carrying two empty barrels stood on the other side.

"Um, excuse me, I'm looking for Leo?"

I raised my hand. "That's me."

"Mr. D told me to tell you that he wants these filled with strawberries by 6 and delivered to the Big House." he said.

Luke chuckled. "How'd you get on his bad side?"

"Oh nothing, the guy is just out to get me." Needless to say, I was mad at Dionysus. I turned back to the satyr. "He wants them filled, huh? I'll make sure he gets his fruit," I took the barrels, and the satyr scampered away.

Dionysus got his fruit alright. Maybe just due to a freak of the weather, but somehow two barrels of the most rotten strawberries were blown straight into Dionysus' face that morning. We didn't talk for a long time after that, which I didn't mind, and poisonous plants seemed to be attracted to me, but it was worth it.

Over the next few weeks, campers slowly began to arrive and fill the cabins. Most days, I didn't leave the cabin, so I didn't see a lot of the new arrivals. A lot of children of Hermes and unclaimed demigods arrived, quickly filling our cabin. Soon, I barely had enough space for my own sleeping bag, and had to squish myself in the corner. It was pretty uncomfortable, and a far cry from the space I had on Aeolia.

As more campers arrived, the summer schedule of daily chores and events started. I participated in all of it not only to give myself something to do, but also so that I wouldn't arouse suspicion by doing anything out of the ordinary. Between the rock climbing, sword fighting, canoeing, horse riding, and all the other events I nearly forgot I had a mission to fulfill at the camp.

The more I was around other campers, the more others started to notice me. I started to hear rumors about how I was some uninvited arrival with weird eyes. Truthfully, my eyes were the only things that didn't look like a regular camper. If you looked at me in the eyes, you would see the not color, but the four winds of the earth, swirling around. Campers would snicker and whisper as I went by, because I was just strange. I found this pretty amusing, because these kids had no idea who I actually was. Luke, though, would usually stand up for me and defend me. I wouldn't defend myself because I didn't want to draw attention to myself.

Life continued normally for a while. However, one morning I awoke to a buzz of activity outside the cabin. There was a group of kids huddled, whispering to each other.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Leo, don't you know? Percy Jackson is here!" one of them said.

"He killed the Minotaur!" another told me.

"Did he really? Well I guess I'd better go greet the hero, then." This Percy Jackson sounded like an interesting guy, killing the Minotaur before he even arrived. Maybe, I thought, even good enough to steal something from the gods.

"Not just yet," Luke said, from behind. "He's still in the infirmary. He'll be staying with us once he recovers, though."

This started another buzz of chatter among the campers, and they scurried away to gossip.

That night, I talked to Chiron. "So what's this I'm hearing about Percy Jackson?"

"The boy is special. He and Grover crossed into the camp last night after he defeated the Minotaur."

I perked up.

"Grover?" I asked. "He's still here? Who else is here?"

"Ah yes, I had forgotten you know him. Grover Underwood, Annabeth Chase, and Luke Castellan are all here."

"Where?" I asked eagerly

"Well you've already talked to Luke in the cabin, and Grover and Annabeth are in the infirmary with Percy." I stopped listening, and rushed down to see them.

When I got there, they were both bent over a boy lying in bed, who I figured was Percy. "Grover! Annabeth!" I called out. Argus, the guard covered in eyes, shushed me. I whispered an apology.

It took Grover and Annabeth a second to recognize me.

"Oh gods Grover, it's Leo!" Annabeth whispered. She ran to give me a hug. "Leo I didn't think you'd come back!"

"I'm glad to see you and Grover, it's been a while." Grover waved.

"How long will you be here?" Annabeth asked.

"It looks like I'll be here indefinitely now. I decided to get out of the real world since my scent was getting stronger. So is that the famous Percy Jackson?" I asked, turning the attention away from me. Annabeth nodded.

"He's been out ever since he got here. Grover just recovered."

"Grover, what's in the box? And what happened to you?" I inquired, noticing the shoe box he was carrying and his cuts for the first time.

"We were coming to camp when the Minotaur attacked. Percy killed it and broke off its horn" He opened the box, revealing a horn caked with blood. "but his mother is…" Grover's voice trailed off.

"She's missing." Annabeth finished.

"No body?" I asked. It might sound a bit harsh, but usually the camp recovered the bodies of the dead.

"No, we couldn't find one anywhere. Percy talks in his sleep, he keeps mumbling something about his mother and golden sparks. He also says things about something missing, some summer solstice deadline. Do you know anything about that?"

"Um, no, I have no idea what that's about." I said, trying to feign surprise. What really interested me was the golden sparks and missing body. Honestly, that sounded a lot like someone had taken his mother. Why, I had no idea. A conch horn blew in the distance.

"I hadn't realized it was so late! I'm headed over to the Big House." Annabeth announced. "Great seeing you again, Leo! We'll catch up later." She headed out the door. Just as the door closed, Percy started to open his eyes. He sat up, looked around, and seeing the glass of nectar next to him, reached out to grab it. He was so weak, he nearly dropped it.

"Careful," Grover warned. "You saved my life. I… well, the least I could do… I went back on the hill. I thought you might want this." Grover put the shoe box with the Minotaur's horn in it on Percy's lap.

"The Minotaur," Percy said.

"Um, Percy, it isn't a good idea –" Grover started.

"That's what they call him in the Greek myths, isn't it?" I half-laughed in the back. He was still calling them myths. "The Minotaur. Half man, half bull." Percy declared.

"You've been out for two days. How much do you remember?" Grover asked.

"My mom. Is she really…" Grover looked very uncomfortable, and I decided now was a good time to leave. I didn't want to be the stranger in the room while Percy learned of his mother's disappearance and presumed death. I left the infirmary and decided to head back to the cabin.

I walked back to the cabin, expecting it to be empty. By this point in the day, everyone was outside doing a variety of activities. I slowed, though, when I heard multiple voices in the cabin. I wasn't quite sure what they were saying, but it was strange to have anyone in the cabin during the day. I opened the door, and I was shocked. There was only one person in the cabin. And that one person was Luke Castellan.


	2. Chapter 2: I (Almost) Get Claimed

Chapter Two: I (Almost) Get Claimed

"Luke?" He looked up at me. His eyes flashed with annoyance, but it was quickly replaced by surprise.

"Leo, I didn't expect you back at the cabin so early. What brings you up here?" he asked.

"I was just about to ask you the same question. I don't have anything else to do for a while, so I came back here to rest. You?"

"I, uh, forgot something in the cabin for sword practice and I just came back to grab it." I looked around and saw a backpack on his bed, but nothing that looked like it would be needed for sword practice.

"Was there anyone else with you?" I asked, curious about the voices, plural, I heard.

"Nope, it's just me." he said, and looked around, as if confirming he was alone.

"Strange, I could have sworn I heard someone else in here."

"That's funny. It must've been a" he paused, "trick of the wind, then." He grinned, and my blood ran cold.

"Yeah, must've been." I mumbled. Did he know something about me?

"Well see you around, Leo. I have to run." He grabbed the bag off his bed, and left the cabin. I sat down by my things, worried and confused. Was that just a bad choice of wording, or was he making some veiled threat? His grin had been so wicked, too, as if – well as if he was the enemy. But it wasn't possible that Luke was the enemy, there was no way he was the Lightning Thief. I couldn't take any more chances about my identity though, especially not with Luke. I went to speak with Chiron.

As I reached the Big House, the front door was thrown open, and Grover scampered out. The door slammed behind him. His eyes were red and puffy, like he had cried, and he looked miserable.

"Grover! What happened?"

His bottom lip quivered, as if he was about to break out in tears again. "Mr. D wanted to talk to me about my failure with Percy" he bleated.

"It didn't go so well, then?" He nodded his head.

"You didn't fail, Grover. You got him here safe, and that's all that matters. Plus, Diony – I mean Mr. D can be pretty mean, but don't take it personally. He's like that with everyone."

"Thanks, man. I've got to go, talk to you later!" I gave him an apologetic look, and he ran off towards the forest.

I usually walked straight into the Big House, no invitation needed. This time, however, I decided to knock. Dionysus' voice rang out from inside.

"I am trying to sleep! What incompetent…" He opened the door and saw me. "Oh, it's you." He looked slightly amused. "Why don't you come in?" He led me inside, and we sat in the rec room.

"I'm looking for Chiron." I said.

"Of course you are. He's giving the new celebrity a tour of the grounds."

"Percy? I'm glad he's able to get up, he looked pretty bad. Any idea when Chiron will be back?"

"He has some archery class at noon." Dionysus' voice softened. "You know, I'm surprised you're willing to pay the price"

"Um, what price?" I asked, confused and surprised that Dionysus seemed to care.

"Ah, so Father hasn't told you everything, then." Thunder rumbled in the distance. "Calm down, I'm just giving him fair warning," he yelled at the sky, and the thunder subsided. "You're aware that gods cannot directly interfere in the mortal world, especially with demigods." I nodded. "What you're doing now, well, there's always a consequence for breaking ancient law."

"What sort of consequence?" I was a bit nervous; I didn't want to turn into a chicken or something for 100 years.

"It differs," he replied, "depending on the person and the circumstances."

"Doesn't Zeus have control over that? He can grant me amnesty or something, right?"

He looked at me and shook his head. "Young gods are so ignorant these days." I glared at him. Technically, he was older than me, but only by a few hundred years. "That's not possible," he continued. "This is something that goes beyond even Zeus. What do the mortals say, it's 'above his pay grade'" Thunder rumbled again.

"Well, I guess I don't really have an option now, anyways. I'll just have to take whatever comes." I replied. In the back of my mind, I was convinced Dionysus was just trying to scare me, and that it wouldn't be bad. After all, I am a god. What bad could come to a god?

Dionysus looked at me, and then sighed. "Don't say I didn't warn you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a nap to take." With that, he disappeared from the rec room.

I sat for a moment in thought, and then waved my hand. An image of Hermes, messenger of the gods and god of thieves, appeared. He looked down and noticed me.

"Aeolus, is that you? My you've lost some years!" I looked down and remembered I looked like a teenaged demigod.

"Ah, don't mind this. I'm just making a visit to the camp."

"Did you need me to pass on a message or something? I'm a bit busy right now, summer rush."

"Actually, I have a bit of an odd request. I need you to claim me." He stared at me for a moment in stunned silence.

"You need me to what?" he asked in disbelief.

"I need you to claim me. I'm, um, trying to blend in here at the camp, and I need to disguise as a genuine half-blood."

"And you need me to do this?" He eyed me suspiciously.

"It's a bit complicated. It has something to do with Luke." When I said his name, Hermes' eyes widened.

"Alright, I agree. I'll project an image of the caduceus on your head, and you can play the part of my son." He acted as though mentioning his son's name cleared everything up, and didn't ask what I meant. He clearly knew something I didn't.

"Thank you so much, Hermes. I owe you a favor!"

"Don't worry about it. Perhaps, you may do me an even greater one by this." He said the last part under his breath. I was going to ask what he meant, but his image had already dissipated.

A moment later, I heard the front door of the Big House open.

"Chiron?" I called out. The centaur appeared in the door of the rec room.

"Aeolus! I'm just grabbing my supplies for my masters' archery class. I'm in a bit of a rush, but don't worry, I heard everything about you being claimed. I just need your last name."

"My last name?" I had never really thought about it, but I realized Chiron needed it for the claiming announcement. "Let's say Carsons. Leo Carsons."

"Carsons sounds great! I'll see you at dinner." He rushed out the door.

From there I returned to the cabin again. On my way back, I passed campers climbing the rock wall, swimming, and just chatting. But then, a word caught my ear. Two campers were talking, and I distinctively heard the word 'solstice' in their conversation. I became the wind, invisible, to listen to the conversation. To my surprise, it was Percy and Annabeth.

"…something like we didn't have much time, because of the deadline. What did that mean?" Percy asked her.

"I wish I knew. Chiron and the satyrs, they know, but they won't tell me. Something is wrong in Olympus, something pretty major." I was surprised that she didn't know about the theft. Annabeth continued, "Last time I was there, everything seemed so _normal_."

"You've been to Olympus?" Percy asked, incredulous.

"Some of us year-rounders – Luke and Clarisse and I and a few others – we took a field trip during winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council."

A thought struck me, and I stopped listening. All the gods were in one place. There were demigods there. Gods couldn't steal each other's symbols of power, but demigods could. It was a long shot, but it was just possible that one of those demigods had seen the thief, or maybe one of them was the thief. I needed a list of every camper and chaperone that had been on that trip. I knew only Chiron would have one, but it was too risky to ask him. He still didn't know why exactly I was there, but I'm sure he had his suspicions. Asking him directly would just confirm them and give up my mission. I had no choice but to steal it. It was just a matter of finding the right time.

By the time I got back to the cabin, everyone else had returned, and was waiting for dinner. I noticed that Percy Jackson had joined our cabin, and was talking to Luke. Luke handed him a sleeping bag and toiletries, no doubt stolen from the store. For the most part, the other campers were just talking. I went back to my area. I planned to just sit by myself, but then, unexpectedly, another camper came up to talk to me.

"You're Leo, right?" I turned to see who was talking to me. It was a teenaged boy with black hair and brown eyes.

"Um, yeah, that's right. What's your name?" I was still surprised anyone had bothered to talk to me, no one usually did. It was better that way, as I wouldn't attract attention.

"I'm Chris. Chris Rodriguez." He held out his hand, and we shook. "Regular or undetermined?" he asked.

"Undetermined, but I'm hoping to be claimed soon." He laughed.

"Aren't we all? I'm still undetermined myself." He had a sort of far-off look in his eyes.

"Well, it's only a matter of time before our parents claim us, right?"

"I guess," he muttered. He looked a bit sad.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Ah I don't know. I just sometimes feel like it will never happen. I'll stay undetermined forever."

I nodded. "I pray not" That was a pretty scary thought, and I didn't think any god that sired a demigod would let them go undetermined. "Did you ever know your parents?" I asked him.

"Just my mom, I never saw my dad. But my mom left me with my aunt when I was six, she ran off with some other guy. How about you?" Chris looked pretty sad, I honestly felt bad for the guy.

"Oh, no." I lied. "I only ever knew my mother, too." Actually, my father was Kind Hippotes and my mother was the nymph Melanippe. They both raised me when I was young, and we had a pretty good family life. I didn't want to tell Chris this. He didn't need someone else to make him feel like an outsider.

"Geeze, it just makes me feel abandoned when I think about it. Like the gods never really cared for us, you know what I'm saying?"

"I guess…"

"I mean, if the gods are all-powerful, wouldn't they at least take a bit of time to recognize their children, to spend a bit of time with them now and then?"

"Yeah, I'd think so." He had a good point. The gods almost never spent any time with their children, and some never even saw their godly parents. Then Luke seemed to notice our conversation, and looked over at us. Before we got a chance to talk more, a conch horn blew.

"Eleven, fall in!" Luke called. We all lined up by seniority in the commons yard. I fell between Chris and Percy, who was last in the line. All the other cabins lined up as well, and we walked down to the mess hall pavilion.

The pavilion was lit up with torches all around. A large fired burned in the center of 12 tables, one for each cabin. It was a great place to eat, except for the massive overpopulation problem at our table. We sat down straight from the line, and I squeezed between Chris and Percy. Percy looked like he was about to fall right off the bench.

I sat thinking about Hermes saying he was going to claim me. I knew that more than likely, Hermes was going to claim me during dinner. I looked at Chris, and his sadness. It wasn't right for me to pretend to get claimed, while this guy was still waiting for his parent to even recognize him. I excused myself from the table, pretending I needed to go to the bathroom. Instead, I walked a bit into the forest. Again, I waved my hand, making an image of Hermes appear.

"Hermes." I called out. He looked at me.

"Aeolus! I was just about to claim you."

"Yeah, that's the thing. Um, I'm calling it off." He looked surprised.

"Why?" I didn't tell him specifics, I just said I met an unclaimed demigod, and didn't want to get claimed while he was still waiting.

"Are you sure about this, though? I could always just have that unclaimed one look the other way, or forget it happened or something. I mean if it's to help–" he caught himself.

"Help what?" I asked.

"Oh, um, nothing. Nothing, just forget it. I have to go, there's a package waiting to be delivered!" He wiped his hand across the image, and he disappeared. I couldn't figure out what he was talking about, or who or what he wanted to help.

When I returned, Chiron pounded his hoof against the floor. The campers got quiet. Chiron raised his glass.

"To the gods!" he yelled, and everyone else followed suit.

"To me!" I yelled in my head. A wood nymph came and put food on our table. I picked up my empty glass and said "Root beer." It instantly filled with the dark brown beverage. If there is one drink of the mortals I enjoy, its root beer. I could never have enough.

The campers began to process towards the fire to offer part of their food to the gods. . Usually I just saved my portion; no sense wasting perfectly good food. When it was my turn, I dumped some crumbs off into the flames and muttered something akin to ancient Greek. It didn't matter to me who got my sparse sacrifice, but I wasn't about to go throwing my whole dinner into the flames.

I returned to my seat, my plate loaded with ambrosia I had cleverly disguised as mortal food. Topped off with some root beer, it was a great meal. Afterwards, Chiron pounded his hoof again. Dionysus stood.

"Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels."

The Ares table cheered victoriously.

"Personally, I couldn't care less, but congratulations." I rolled my eyes. What did Dionysus really care about? "Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson."

I looked around for this newcomer named 'Peter', and Chiron whispered to Dionysus.

"Er, Percy Jackson. That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on." Cheering erupted. The campers walked down to the amphitheater. Apollo's cabin led a sing-along there. Then, I remembered the list. This would be a perfect time to get it while the campers were dispersed at the campfire and Chiron was distracted. I didn't know when I'd have a better chance. I again turned into wind and blew back to the Big House.

I flew into Chiron's office: empty, as expected. I opened all the drawers and began a desperate search for this one slip of paper that I wasn't sure was even there. I didn't have a lot of time; I could already hear the voices of the campers dying away. I breezed through paper after paper, careful to return everything exactly as it was. I glanced out the window, and saw Chiron rise in the distance, as if to return. My mind raced, desperate for this sheet. I turned to a cabinet in the rear of the room labeled 'Records'. I threw it open, and found the files from around the date of the winter solstice. I could now hear the voices of Chiron and Dionysus as they approached. My hands leafed through papers faster than ever. And then I spotted it. There, behind volumes of paper, was one sheet, creased down the middle titled, "Roster: Winter Solstice Mt. Olympus". I snatched this, threw everything back in order best I could, and whisked out of the window not a moment too soon. Chiron entered just seconds later. He looked up, as if he heard a noise, but seemed to dismiss it, and went back to his business. I returned to Cabin Eleven, unnoticed.

Before I went to bed, I scanned the list. It was pretty short. There weren't a lot of people who were allowed to go. I decided to ask each of them individually, just casually bring it up in conversation, and see if anyone had seen anything suspicious. I shoved the list into my pocket, and fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up around 6, before anyone else was up. I pulled the crumpled list out of my pocket, and looked at the first name: Annabeth Chase. I highly doubted she knew anything about the identity of the thief. After all, she was asking Percy about it, who just yesterday didn't even know about gods. But it was worth a shot. Any information was good information to me. I decided to take a walk around shore and watch the sunrise before the day began.

On the beach, the sun was just breaking over the horizon. I could barely make out Apollo's chariot, racing across the early morning sun and lighting up the sky. It was a beautiful sight. As I looked out to the pink and orange sky, a figure rose out of the water. He was dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and khaki pants, and his face looked tan, as if he had spent time in the sun. He wore a battered cap, and leather shoes, but was carrying a trident, which seemed out of place. I recognized him immediately.

"Lord Poseidon," I said, bowing deeply.

"Aeolus, just the god I wanted to speak with." he said, looking at me.

"Me?" I had no idea why Poseidon would want to talk with me. Perhaps he too suspected something of my mission.

"Yes you. I want to know why you are at Camp Half-Blood." There was a hint of a threat in his voice.

"I'm just… checking out the sights?" I fibbed. It was a pretty terrible story, but I couldn't admit I was spying for Zeus. That would've gotten me into even more trouble.

"Do not lie to the lord of the sea!" The earth shook a bit. "I will ask again: Why are you here?" he roared.

"I, well, I – uh it's a bit complicated, I can't really say."

"Are you here because of Percy?" He was barely restraining his anger.

"Percy Jackson?"

"What other Percy do you think I –" He paused. "Wait, do you not know?"

"Is there something I should know about him?" Poseidon looked at me like I had asked a really dumb question, like 'what planet do we live on?'

"Can you not sense it? He has the aura of ocean about him, even the monsters could tell. Aeolus, Percy Jackson is my son."


	3. Chapter 3: I Visit with a Titan

Chapter Three: I Visit with a Titan

I stood looking at Poseidon in utter shock. How could I not have known this before? Poseidon had similar questions.

"I would have thought you of all people would've known this, Aeolus. Everything lost to the winds eventually comes to you, weren't you at least aware of the rumors?"

"I – I don't know," I stuttered. "I should've known, I just…"

"Perhaps you have been away too long from Aeolia, Aeolus. You are losing touch with the winds." I hoped he was wrong about that. "Nonetheless, you must not interfere with his destiny."

"Absolutely not, Lord Poseidon," I didn't think about how Percy was related to the theft, and I decided to tell him the truth. "I am here only to find the Lightning Thief" In hindsight, this was a terrible decision.

"An agent of my brother?" The earth and water shook violently. Poseidon was furious. "You want a war? So be it. I shall not harm you here, but on my word you shall never be able to enter my domain. Stay clear of destiny, or you shall pay an even greater price." He transformed into his true form, so powerful he would incinerate any mortal that looked at him. As a god, there was no need for me to avert my eyes, but for some reason I could feel his energy affecting me. That wasn't normal, but I attributed it to his supreme anger.

After he disappeared, I told myself it was only natural to make an enemy out of Poseidon when you worked for Zeus, but he still wasn't an enemy I wanted to have. From then on, I'd have to watch myself around water. Needless to say, I left the shore pretty quickly.

I remembered my goal. I had to talk to all the campers that had visited Olympus, but at that point it almost didn't matter. The gods Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades, also called the Big Three, had all made an oath that they would not have any more children with mortals after the destruction of World War Two (caused by their children). Once Poseidon claimed Percy, Zeus would surely blame Percy for stealing the bolt, even though I knew that wasn't possible. The kid didn't have a clue (no offense), so how could he have gone to a place he didn't know about and stolen something he didn't know existed? I decided not to tell Zeus about Percy because I didn't think he was relevant to finding the bolt, and I in no way wanted to make things worse between me and Poseidon. But something else was bothering me. There was something said about the next child of the Big Three, something important I felt like I should know. Maybe a prophecy? For some reason I couldn't remember what it was. I figured I would ask Chiron or someone about it later, but for now I had other fish to fry (no pun intended).

By the time I made it back up to camp, the campers were awake, and most had eaten breakfast. When I found Annabeth, she was in the Athena Cabin sifting through piles of books.

"Morning, Annabeth!" I said cheerily, surprising her.

"Hi, Leo." She continued to search the books.

"What are you up to?"

"I'm just searching for a good book for learning Ancient Greek. I'm going to give Percy lessons."

"Ah, I see. Ancient Greek should be exciting." I eyed a book with a mountain on it. "What's that, a book about Olympus?"

"Oh, that one? Yeah, it's about the early history of Mount Olympus."

"Oh wow. Say, have you ever been to Olympus?" I asked innocently. She looked at me.

"Yes, just once last winter. Why?"

"I was just curious. I bet it's a great place. Winter, you said?"

"It was a field trip. Just a few of us were allowed to go. We were there during the annual council of the gods."

"You know, I heard something really strange happened there around the time you were there. Have any idea what it was?"

"I didn't see anything while we were there, but I heard something happened on Olympus after we left. It was something to do with the solstice."

"Oh," I replied. I was really hoping she would have some good information, and I hoped she didn't notice my disappointment. "Well I guess you'd better to teach Ancient Greek!"

"Guess so. Hey, want to come with? There's javelin throwing a bit afterwards, too. I think it'd be fun!" Annabeth was the only person who could find teaching Ancient Greek fun, but I agreed. She grabbed some massive ancient books, and we both headed down to the amphitheater, where she was meeting Percy. He arrived a few minutes after we did.

"Good morning Percy!" she smiled.

"Hey, Annabeth! And, um Leo, right?" He looked at me.

"Yeah, Leo Carsons."

"That's right. You're staying in the Hermes cabin, too." I nodded.

"Alright, Percy. I decided to start you off with a diagnostic to see where your Greek is. Here's Homer's _The Iliad_. Just give it a shot, see how much you can read." Annabeth tossed Percy a massive book that looked pretty old and worn down. He opened it, and stared at it for a bit. "Um, aloud Percy."

He looked up, a bit embarrassed. "Oh, right." He started to hack away at the ancient language, and Annabeth and I winced at his pronunciation. Annabeth quickly closed the book.

"Er, why don't we just start with the basics, like the alphabet?" She produced a long sheet of paper that had all the letters of the Greek alphabet written on it, and proceeded to go over each one, giving the name and the sound. For the most part, Percy already understood that, and they quickly moved on to basic words and sentences. In no time at all, he managed to read a sentence or too, and Annabeth declared time was up. We all stood up to leave. Annabeth and Percy looked at each other for just a moment. Annoyance, or something else? The stare was quickly broken, but I knew somewhere, Aphrodite was at work.

We split up to do our chores, but I spent the rest of the day cornering the others that had gone to Olympus and trying to find out if anyone had any information. Not a single person did. Finally, I reached the last person on the list, Luke. At that time, it was around 5 and everyone was enjoying their free time. I couldn't find Luke anywhere, but I figured he had gone into the forest or something, and I went to practice my sword fighting.

Before dinner, all of Cabin Eleven reunited at the cabin to line up again. There, Luke caught up with me.

"Hey, Leo!" He called.

"Hi Luke," He took me by the arm, and led me away from the main group of campers.

"Leo, just the guy I was looking for. Listen, something came up. I need a little help, and I hear you're the right person."

"Sure, no problem. What is it?"

"Um, it's a bit secret, but it has to do with the gods."

"Ah, okay."

"Meet back at the cabin Thursday during our free time, I'll explain everything."

"Alright, I'd be happy to help with whatever it is." All his secrecy about whatever it was made me a bit uncomfortable.

"Great, thanks Leo. I knew I could count on you." He went to the front of the group and we assembled into our line for dinner. I didn't have any idea about what he wanted.

The next two days were pretty normal. I 'learned' some Greek mythology with the rest of the campers (which I thought was pretty funny, because I was present at most of the events they talked about), and practiced more fighting skills. I learned some great monster assault techniques ('for those times when a hellhound jumps you at the bus stop'), and picked some strawberries with the others, much to Dionysus' delight. Finally, it was time for my clandestine meeting with Luke.

I walked up to the cabin during free time, and again I heard multiple voices. Again, when I opened it, Luke was alone. This time, however, he was expecting me.

"Leo, come in," I took a seat across from him on someone's bed. "So Chris tells me you're a bit angry with the gods?"

I was a bit embarrassed, and thought he was going to get me in trouble.

"Chris Rodriguez? Oh, we just talked about how we both thought the gods should spend more time with their kids."

"Yeah, that's exactly what I wanted to talk about. See, I feel the same way. Hermes," he shuddered when he said the name "hasn't done me any favors recently."

"Ah, tough luck on the godly side, then?"

"You could say that. Leo, are you a trustworthy guy?"

"Sure, Luke. I can keep secrets."

"Good, cause I've got a big one." My heart rate picked up. "I need some help with an important project, and you're the only one. I need you to help me overthrow Olympus."

My jaw dropped. "You need me to WHAT?"

"Keep it down; we don't want to attract any attention." His eyes flashed with annoyance. "Like I was saying, the gods have just been using us demigods as tools, and I think it's high time that changed. Wouldn't you agree?"

This was my chance to find out whatever his plans were. Maybe this had something to do with the theft.

"Uh, yeah. Absolutely. We shouldn't be used, that's not right." I hoped I was a good liar.

"I'm glad you agree. Now here's the thing: I'm working for someone really powerful, and he would very much like to meet you."

"Really? What sort of person?" Luke laughed a bit.

"Well, I wouldn't say person. More like being." What in the world could this boy be talking about?

"Um, okay."

"Leo, you probably think I'm crazy. I'll just let him introduce himself."

The room seemed to get colder, and a voice like metal being dragged against metal filled my mind. It was the personification of fear, with no exact origin.

_Hello, young one,_ I covered my ears. _I have been very eager to talk to you. I am pleased we finally have the chance to speak one on one._

"Who are you?" I asked the voice.

_My identity will be revealed in due time. For now, do not concern yourself with it. My faithful servant Luke has no doubt informed you of our plan. _

"He told me a bit."

_We will overthrow Olympus, and you shall help._

"Help you? How?"

_Soon, Perseus Jackson will leave on a quest. Your duty is to follow the boy and his companions._

"Percy? Just follow him?"

_Yes, simply follow. I will give you further instructions when you are out. Luke will help me with this. _

"I guess it sounds like a good idea." That was a lie: it was an awful idea.

_Good, very good. You have made a wise choice. _The room warmed up again, and Luke smiled.

"The Master is pleased. You have done well, Leo." Luke told me.

"Um, sure I guess. Do I have to do anything now?"

"No, just wait until the quest begins. I have to go. I'll see you at dinner." He left me in the cabin.

I was in shock. I had way more questions than answers. Whoever or whatever that thing was that spoke to me, it was definitely evil. I had to inform Zeus. I waved my hand, trying to create a link to Zeus. The screen appeared, but it was blank, and a busy tone sounded.

'Come on,' I thought to myself. 'Not now.'

A cheery voice came from the screen. "Hello, you have reached the communications office of Iris. This is Fleecy. How may I help?" Iris is the goddess of the rainbow, and responsible for the screen messaging (or Iris messages) between the gods. She also carries messages for demigods, for a small fee.

"Um, Fleecy? Okay, I need to talk to Zeus."

"Zeus, hmm? Who is this?"

"Aeolus, god of the winds. It's urgent."

"I'm sorry, but Zeus isn't accepting messages at this time. If you would like to leave a message, I can transfer you to Hermes."

"No, no messages. I have to speak with him now. When will he be free?"

"He's pretty busy right now, but it looks like he'll be able to speak with you in, oh, say three weeks?"

"Three…"

"Would you like me to put you on the schedule?"

"No, that's fine. Thanks, uh, Fleecy." I wiped my hand and dissolved the connection. Zeus was out of the picture. I'd have to handle this myself. A conch horn sounded. It was time for dinner.

Sitting at dinner, I tried to pretend everything was fine and I hadn't just signed up with some stranger to take down Olympus. I sat next to Percy and Chris again.

"So Percy, Greek lessons going well?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

"Yeah, for the most part. I'm getting through the_ Iliad _pretty well."

"Ah the _Iliad._ I always enjoyed that epic."

Percy thought for a second.

"When did you come to camp, anyways? You don't look that much older than me."

"Oh, um, well it's a long story. I came for a little while when Annabeth arrived, but I went back home until this year," Technically, I wasn't lying. "But enough about me. How has your first official week as a demigod gone so far?"

"It's been the most amazing thing I've ever experienced. I just wish that I knew…"

"Who your godly parent is?" I finished.

"Yeah."

"I think you'll be surprised" I said under my breath.

He looked at me. "What was that?"

"Oh, er, nothing. Hey look, it's almost time for capture the flag!" The wood nymphs were clearing the tables, and the campers were buzzing with excitement.

After the wood nymphs were done, another conch horn sounded. All the campers stood at the tables and cheered as three children of Athena, Annabeth included, ran in with a silken grey banner carrying the symbols of Athena. On the other side, Clarisse and members of her cabin entered with a red banner covered with the symbols of Ares. Percy called out something to Luke, but I wasn't listening. While the others cheered, my mind drifted back to the voice, the voice of pure evil. To my surprise, I heard it again.

_You shall see me soon. Very soon._

The voice was worse than nails on a chalkboard, but it said no more. It had to just have been my imagination, or the stress of the past few days. Already, the teams and rules had been announced and everyone was grabbing weapons off a large table. I took a medium-sized rusty looking sword, oversized helmet, and a badly dented shield from what was left on the table. I heard Annabeth call our team forward, and I ran in the rear of the mass of campers with deadly weapons. I didn't make it far into the charge.

As I ran, my vision went black and I thought I was about to pass out. Maybe I stepped the wrong way on a sword or something. I felt myself fall backwards, but I didn't touch the ground. I shut my eyes as I continued to fall. After what felt like an eternity, the motion stopped. I opened my eyes, and found myself standing on solid ground. At least, I think it was solid ground. Everything around was dark brown and dimly lit. I couldn't tell the ceiling from the walls from the floor. I didn't have any of my armor or weapons, just my orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and jeans. I looked around and saw no one, but the room was cold and I felt as if I was being watched.

"Hello?" I called out to the darkness.

_Welcome to my prison, young – halfblood. It is time you discover my full identity._

It was the voice again.

"Your, uh, full identity?" What I did know about this being did not make me want to learn more.

_Yes. I am not a full being, not powerful like I was, but with your help, I will be. I am Kronos, destroyed by the gods but destined to rule again._

This was the definition of in over my head. I didn't even exist when Kronos was around. He had become like a myth even among the gods. I was certain I would never see him, not to mention ally with him ever in my lifetime. I needed to get out of here and warn someone, anyone, but escape wasn't an option.

_I know you are disillusioned with the gods. You, Leo, will play a crucial role in this plot. It is time for the Titans to rule the world once more. The gods will be chained and punished, as they have done to us._

I remembered the stories I learned about the Titans as a child. They ruled before the gods, but were overthrown in the Titan War. Kronos was chopped into bits by Zeus and thrown into the deepest pits of Tartarus. Other Titans faced a similar fate.

I was about to yell at Kronos and tell him his plan would never succeed, but I was the guest in his territory. I had to play along.

"Lord Kronos. It is an… an honor to have the chance to serve you. I will do whatever is necessary to bring down the gods of Olympus."

_Perfect. You will find Luke Castellan to be a trusted ally in this endeavor. You already know your mission. The boy will depart soon. You, along with the others, must ensure they reach the Underworld. _

I didn't know what he meant by 'others', nor why he wanted them in the Underworld, but I was in no place to ask. In list of most powerful beings, I would probably have Kronos above Zeus. Now I was his captive pretending to be his lackey.

"Of course, Lord Kronos. I will do my best to make sure they reach the Underworld. Is that all you request of me?"

_There is one more thing._

"Yes?"

_I have entrusted you with a glorious task, and you will gain much power if you succeed. It would be most unfortunate if you had a, shall we say, change of heart in this matter. I do not look kindly on those whose loyalty wavers. Do I make myself clear?"_

"Ye – yes Lord Kronos." He certainly must've known I wasn't a demigod. Why was he treating me this way?

_It is time for you to return. Their little flag game is coming to an end._

"How will I return?"

_I will summon you if I need you. Do not forget what was said._

"I understand, Lord Kronos." Again, I had the sensation of falling backwards. When I landed on my feet, I was back in the forest at the camp. Everyone was staring at the river. I looked up, I saw Percy standing in the river with a fading green trident above his head. Annabeth was standing next to him.

"Your father. This is _really _not good," she said in awe.

"It is determined," boomed Chiron.

All the campers started to kneel, and I fell to my knees along with them.

"My father?" Percy asked.

"Poseidon," Chiron announced. Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."


	4. Chapter 4: I Meet a Girl Named Stacy

Chapter Four: I Meet a Girl Named Stacy

The day after Percy was claimed he was moved into Cabin Three, Poseidon's cabin. He was the only one there, so I'd imagine he was pretty lonely. Back at Cabin Eleven, I talked to Luke about my visit with Kronos.

"He actually brought you into Tartarus?" Luke was intrigued. He had a steely look in his eyes, and it was only then that I noticed how much he had changed since I last saw him. He looked much older, and the joy that he had before wasn't there now.

"I didn't know where I was, but I guess must've been Tartarus."

"Your description matches it," Luke said, and I could tell he was speaking from experience. "Well, while you were gone, a hellhound smashed through our game."

"A hellhound?" It was impossible for monsters to pass the camp's magical boundaries, and they could only enter if they were summoned from the inside. "Someone must've summoned the beast."

Luke looked at me slyly. "I summoned it, of course."

"Why would you–"

"I had to make Chiron believe the camp isn't safe so he'll send Percy on the quest. Remember what Kronos said?"

"Of course, he must reach the Underworld, but why?"

Luke eyed me curiously, as if deciding whether or not I actually was trustworthy.

"Percy will deliver the Master Bolt to Lord Kronos, and he will use him to rise out of the depths of Tartarus to reconquer the world."

It sounded like whoever had first plotted this had put a lot of time and effort in to it. "How exactly did you first encounter Kronos?" I asked.

"Same as you, through my dreams. He picked up on my hatred towards the gods, and called me in my sleep."

"Oh, right." Gods didn't actually have dreams, so I never experienced this. Kronos should definitely have been able to tell I wasn't mortal if he couldn't contact me through his dreams. But if Kronos knew I was a god, he never let on to it.

"Hey Leo, I've got something for you to do." Luke held up a copy of the _New York Daily News_, and opened it to the Metro page. The top article was titled _BOY AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER FREAK CAR ACCIDENT_, about Percy and his mother. The number to call the police was circled in black. "Drop this in Percy's cabin, as a little welcoming gift."

"Just to antagonize the kid? Don't you think he's been through enough?" This was pretty nasty, even coming from someone who wanted to overthrow Olympus.

Luke raised his eyebrows at me.

"You don't think you can do it?"

"No that's not it, I just–"

"If there's an issue, feel free to bring it up with the Master. I'm sure he'll be able to… rectify the problem. You're an ally of Kronos now, and you'd do well not to forget it."

I grudgingly took the newspaper, and dropped it in Percy's cabin later that evening. I swore that when I was free of Kronos, I'd find a way to make Luke pay for that.

The next morning, I skipped breakfast, and stayed in the cabin. I was determined to find a way to notify the gods. I tried contacting all of them via Iris message, but each time I was told they weren't available. I was seriously considering lighting the cabin ablaze and sending smoke signals. It had to be something noticeable, but not direct so neither Luke nor Kronos would become suspicious. I looked outside and saw storms in the distance. As god of the winds, it was my job to make sure the storms always avoided the camp, providing eternal good weather. I stared into the clouds, and that's when the idea struck me. I'd allow this storm to enter the camp boundaries. The gods would certainly notice, and maybe they would try to contact me. It'd look like a mistake or an oversight, but I could notify the gods of Kronos trying to rise again.

I summoned all the wind and water I could to make a fierce storm, headed directly for Camp Half-Blood. I dropped the temperature, freezing the water to create hail and lightning. I pushed the massive thunderheads faster towards the strawberry fields of the camp. I looked at my new mega storm and smiled. It was an awesome sight to behold.

Unexpectedly, a wave of weakness hit me like a blast of cold air. The color drained from my face, and my control over the weather waned. I recognized it as fatigue from overextending my powers. But I hadn't experienced it since I was a demigod many centuries ago. Once I became a god, my powers of wind and weather were unlimited.

The strain took a toll, and I collapsed on some other camper's bed. I was asleep before I hit the sheets. Then, things got even stranger. For the first time in many millennia, I dreamt. It was short and random, but the fact that I even had a dream in the first place was significant. I awoke in a cold sweat, and dragged my tired body to the mirror. I checked my appearance to make I wasn't going crazy or turning into a guinea pig again (long story). Everything seemed normal, but just for a second I thought I saw my hair color flicker. It changed from the brown of my disguised camper body to my natural windblown whitish-grey. It was only there for a second, but I'm certain I saw something. It was impossible, but it was almost like I was losing some of my powers. Before I had a chance to ponder it further, Luke burst through the door, a cheery look on his face.

"Leo, my gods, where have you been? We've been searching for you all morning!" and then after a short pause, "What happened, it looks like you haven't slept for days!"

"Um, no I'm fine, it's nothing."

Luke wasn't listening.

"Chris, bring Leo down to the infirmary and give him some nectar. Make sure he rests, he looks exhausted."

Chris came through the door and took me by the arm. "Sure thing, Luke."

"Thank you. And Leo, don't work yourself too hard yet." He smiled at me like we shared some sort of secret, which we did of course.

I half-stumbled, half-walked to the infirmary with Chris supporting me.

"What happened, man? Luke's right, you look horrible," he asked me.

"I… I'm not really sure exactly. I think I'm just stressed, that's all. It's been a long summer, I guess."

Chris looked at me for a second, and lowered his voice.

"Did Luke recruit you?" he asked in hushed tones.

"Er, what?" I was genuinely confused.

"You know, for Kronos." His voice was barely audible as he whispered.

"Um, yeah. You know about that? I thought Luke and I were the only ones."

"No, he recruited me, too. I'm just happy someone finally feels the same way we do." A couple of nymphs glanced in our direction.

"So happy about that capture the flag game, I mean. Wasn't that great?" he asked me, much louder.

"Oh, yes absolutely. That was the greatest game ever."

"I'll talk to you a little later," he whispered back.

As we got closer to the Big House, I saw Chiron, Grover, Percy, and Dionysus sitting in the front. I couldn't face them while I was like this. I wasn't sure what was wrong yet, but I certainly didn't want them knowing I was losing my powers or something.

"Oh man, Chris. We've got to go around the back." I stumbled forward.

"What? The door is just right there, you're almost done," he said, pulling me up.

"No, back." I insisted.

"Alright, whatever you say." He helped me shuffle to the entrance at the rear of the Big House, which luckily led straight to the infirmary. A female camper from the Apollo cabin greeted us. Children of Apollo were almost always helping in the infirmary because their father is the god of healing.

"Oh my, what do we have here?" the camper asked, looking at me. I was too weak even then to respond.

"He collapsed in his cabin, looks pretty bad," Chris responded for me.

"Hmm, looks like a case of extreme fatigue. Why don't you put him on the first bed to the left, number three?" The infirmary was empty except for me, so there was plenty of room.

Chris dragged me towards the bed, and I managed to hobble on to the bed. The camper from the Apollo cabin followed us. She addressed Chris first.

"I've got it from here, thanks for helping out." She smiled and pointed to the direction of the door. Chris was a little taken aback by her abruptness, by he took it in stride

"Hey Leo, hope you feel better soon!" Chris said.

I tried to respond, but it came out as more of a groan. I felt like I was getting weaker sitting there, not stronger. Chris waved, and left the infirmary.

The Apollo camper faced me, and spoke loud, long words like I was hard of hearing.

"Hello, Leo. My name is Stacy. I'm here to help you." I just nodded.

"Here, drink some nectar first. This should help clear things up." She handed me a large glass of the liquid, and I downed the whole thing in one massive gulp. The drink warmed my throat, and I could feel my strength returning.

"How's that taste?"

"Fantastic," I said as the warmth of god drink washed over me.

"How are you feeling now?"

"A ton better, thanks!" She smiled again.

"You certainly look better. Now, if you don't mind, I'm just going to take a quick blood sample."

I almost spit nectar all over her.

"NO!" Gods bled golden ichor, not like mortals. That would be one awkward blood test. She looked at me.

"I mean, I'm feeling fine now, no need for that."

"New standard operating procedure for fatigue cases, I'm afraid."

"Um, can't we get around that or something?"

She looked unsure.

"Perhaps, but I'll have to talk to Chiron, first. I'll be right back."

She walked out of the room, and I could hear voices talking. I stuck my ear up to the wall to listen.

"…to find this stupid bolt, and return it to Zeus." That must've been Percy's voice.

"What better peace offering than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property?" a voice that sounded like Chiron responded.

"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?"

"I believe I know." This conversation was getting interesting. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago… well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek counsel of the Oracle."

"Why can't you tell me where the…" I heard steps approaching again, and I stuck my head back on the pillow. Stacy appeared in the doorway.

"Chiron's busy at the moment, we'll have to wait."

"Alright, as long as you don't go taking my blood or anything!"

Stacy laughed, and gave me a wink.

"Don't worry about it."

Was this girl hitting on me? Guess she didn't have many male patients in the infirmary.

"So, how'd you come down with this, fighting some great monster or something heroic?"

Yep, she was definitely hitting on me.

"Well I guess you could say that…"

"Gee, that's real cute." She paused. "Say, the Apollo cabin's having a party this week, I was wondering if you might want to come?" She batted her eyes.

"Um, Stacy, you don't understand, I'm…" I was about to say married, but that would sound strange coming from a teenager. It was true, though. My wife, Iphimedia, and my twelve children were on Aeolia.

"What's that?" she asked me.

Luckily, I was spared the pain of having to respond when Chiron walked in through the hallway.

"What was it you wanted, Ms. Evans? I don't have much…. Oh." Chiron laid his eyes on me.

"Ms. Evans, would you grant me and Mr. Carsons a moment alone, please?"

Stacy looked a bit embarrassed. "Of course, Chiron." She walked out of the room again. When Chiron deemed her safely out of earshot, he spoke to me.

"Aeolus what happened to you? Did you get stabbed by a pit scorpion, or bitten by the Chimera?"

Now I was embarrassed.

"No, nothing like that. I was just trying to summon the winds, when…"

Chiron's eyes widened as he put the pieces together.

"The curse. It must be."

"The what? Did you just say curse?"

"I'm afraid so, Aeolus. It's the debt of men."

"What sort of debt?"

"The dead of all men: death, morality." That didn't make sense: death didn't apply to me.

"But I'm a god, immortal."

"Perhaps not, this is the punishment for gods who interfere with fate. They slowly lose their powers and become mortal again."

This was officially the worst day ever.

"So you're telling me I'm just a regular human now?"

"Not yet, you are an immortal edging on becoming a demigod, from the looks of it."

"Well how do you cure it?"

"You must stop interfering, allow the Fates to work freely."

I couldn't just give up and walk away, not just yet.

"What if I leave Camp Half-Blood, will that be enough?"

"Maybe, but I fear it will only slow the process, not stop it completely, if you continue to interact and aid demigods."

"Okay, I'll be leaving soon, anyways." I had to follow Percy on his quest, and this gave me a great excuse.

"How soon?" Chiron inquired.

"Within the day. We will have to make up a cover story for my disappearance."

"I have that covered. Now you must excuse me, Percy is about to leave for his quest."

'Perfect timing,' I thought to myself.

Chiron stood over my bed. "Ms. Evans, you may come in again."

Stacy came in with a big smile, and Chiron walked out.

"Great news, Stacy. Thanks to your expert healing, Chiron says I can leave the infirmary now! Isn't that great?"

Her face dropped a bit.

"Oh, yeah, great news."

I almost felt sorry for her, and promised myself I'd ask Aphrodite to send some amazing demigod her way sometime.

I stood, this time without the need of assistance, left the infirmary and headed straight for the cabin to pack my bags. Bag, singular rather, I didn't have much and it's best to travel light.

When I arrived at the cabin, Luke and Chris were the only ones there. Luke's look of anger had returned, but Chris looked almost relieved when I came back.

"That was fast, glad you came back so quick!" Chris said as he greeted me.

"Yeah, it was nothing serious."

Luke looked at me. "Good thing, Leo. You're going to need all your strength. Percy, Grover, and Annabeth are about to leave on their quest. You should trail them by no more than three hours, so you don't lose them."

"Of course, I guess I'll just pack my things. Should I leave some things, for when I come back?"

"I don't think you'll need to worry about that," Luke said, and he smiled. The look on his face sent shivers down my spine, like it was malicious in some way.

"Um, alright then. I'll take everything." I walked to my corner, and threw my things in to my bag. I didn't fold anything, and it looked pretty terrible. Nothing my mother would approve. As I continued to pack, a chunk of ambrosia fell from the bag. I tried to pick it up before anyone noticed, but Luke was too fast. He grabbed my arm.

"What's this, ambrosia? My Leo, amounts like this would kill a normal demigod." He put extra emphasis on 'normal'. "But you might as well take it with you, just in case there are any incidents along the way."

The way Luke was speaking made me really uncomfortable, like he was mocking a mouse before he threw it to the snakes.

"Chris, do you have Percy's gift?"

'Oh great,' I thought. 'Another wonderful gift from Luke. Probably cursed, or something.'

"Right here, Luke." Chris held up a pair of old shoes that looked well-worn and were falling apart in some places. A pair of wings sprouted from each shoe.

Luke eyed the shoes. "Perfect. Are they already enchanted?"

"Of course," Chris responded with a smile.

"Um, enchanted?" I asked, the only one in the group oblivious of the plan. "What's wrong with them?"

"Oh, these shoes will work just fine." Luke's smile had turned wicked. "Until you get near Tartarus. Then these things are a one-way ticket straight down to Kronos."

"And that's how you're going to get Percy into Tartarus." I finished.

"Exactly. You're a smart one." He didn't mean it as a compliment.

As he spoke, the storm broke over Camp Half-Blood, the first one in a long time. Thunder rumbled right overhead, and rain began to pour. Both Luke and Chris were taken by surprise. We all gathered by the window. A number of other campers were also confused. The children of Aphrodite were running around covering their hair, complaining about ruined hairdos or something. Everyone else, nymphs and satyrs included, was just staring up at the sky like it was some new novelty they had never seen before. It also made a lot of them uneasy. After the hellhound's unexpected entrance into the camp, the storm was not a good omen. Perhaps, I was hoping, this would be just enough to get the gods to notice me.

Luke tried to brush some wetness off the shoes, and threw them under a jacket.

"I'll be right back. I have a pair of shoes to deliver." He took the bundle of shoes and walked out of the cabin leaving Chris, me, and a couple of Hermes campers that tried to escape the storm. The other campers soon left too, to find other shelter, leaving just Chris and me. We sat down on one of the bunks on the far end.

"Luke said you're going to follow Percy on his quest. Is that true?"

"Yeah, it was a mission from Kronos. He wants me to make sure they reach the Underworld."

Chris whistled.

"A mission straight from the big guy, huh? Impressive. He said you've even been…down there." Chris pointed towards the floorboards.

"What, Tartarus?" He winced at the name. "Yeah, Kronos brought me down there. Did he ever do that to you?"

"No way, man. He just talked to me through my dreams."

"Chris, why'd you agree to this anyways?"

"Same as you, I guess. I finally saw that the gods are just using us as pawns in their big game. We don't mean anything to them; they don't even take the time to claim us properly."

I nodded as he ranted.

"I mean, the Titans are destined to rise again, anyways. Personally, I want to be on the winning side when they do."

"They lost the first Titan war, though. What makes this time any different?" I asked curiously.

"This time, Kronos has the power of demigods. We'll willingly help him."

"Well with you and Luke that makes just two… er, I mean three of us." I said, careful not to reveal my identity.

"Kronos showed me the future. Many more will join, and we'll have a powerful army. The monsters will rise with us, and we'll be unstoppable. Not even the gods will be able to stand against us this time." He sounded so sure of himself and so emotional at the same time. "That's not all. Kronos promised me a position of great power once he takes over, because I joined early. Luke, you, and I will become his most trusted lieutenants."

I highly doubted that.

"Really? Three demigods?"

"Kronos sees our potential, unlike the Olympians. He knows we are powerful beings, worthy of respect. Think about it, Leo. We're the only ones that exist in the mortal and immortal world."

Chris had a good point. The unique ability of demigods to exist in two worlds at once was one of the main reasons gods continued to have demigod children. They were very powerful tools.

"I never really thought about it that way before, Chris."

Luke returned from his delivery mission, without the pair of shoes.

"Are you packed yet, Leo? They're leaving now." His voice was strained with impatience.

"Um, yeah, I guess Luke." I zipped up my bag and threw it on my back. "How do I get out without anyone noticing?"

Luke shook his head. "Go through the forest, it leads straight to the highway. You should be able to track them from there. Just follow the signs of destruction." He laughed at Chris followed suite.

"Well, wish me luck guys," I said, before prepping to leave.

"Good luck, Leo!" Chris called out.

"Oh, yes. Good luck. You'll need it." Luke had that wicked grin again, and I had the worst feeling I would need some very good luck.


	5. Chapter 5: A Bus Burns My Supplies

Chapter Five: A Bus Burns My Supplies

The moment I left Camp Half-Blood, I felt better. I could feel my strength and power returning, but I knew I still wasn't fully recovered. Rather than infinite power, I felt like I had a rechargeable battery, and could only use it in small amounts. As long as I continued to directly interfere in the lives of the demigods, I would have to suffer with this curse.

I left only one hour after Percy and the others, but they already developed a large lead ahead of me. Argus drove them, while I had no car and no driver. Luke told me they would first go to the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, but it was up to me to get there. I was able to fly in the wind for most of the journey, but I had to walk the last mile or so, a pretty long walk in the rain. That really drained me, and I knew I wouldn't be able to do it again for a while. I used my last bit of energy to transform into a middle aged man with a grey suit, sunglasses, and wide-brimmed hat covering my face. You know, the typical Greyhound rider.

When I finally arrived at the Greyhound station, the trio hadn't left yet (thank the gods) and they were waiting under a veranda playing Hacky Sack with an apple. I approached the counter to buy a one-way ticket. An elder woman was behind the desk.

"One, please." I kept my face down

"Where to?" she asked me.

I pointed towards the kids.

"Wherever they're going."

She eyed me suspiciously.

"The 6:00 into New Jersey? I'm afraid we just sold the last ticket."

I lowered my sunglasses, and looked her straight in the eyes. I showed her just a little about the god of the winds: a hurricane slamming into a sinking ship at sea, someone being snatched by the wind. Her eyes glazed over and her jaw went slack.

"One ticket, right away." She pulled out a slip of paper with the time and bus number stamped on it, and handed it to me. Best of all, she didn't even charge me for it. I took a seat in the waiting area, near enough so I could keep an eye on the young half-bloods.

The bus was very late, and when it finally arrived I was one of the first to board. I took a seat in the very back, with great views of all of the passengers. I expected the trio to sit in the front, but when they came further to the rear I quickly grabbed a grimy copy of the day's newspaper from the ground, and buried my face in the sports headlines. Even though my appearance was different, I didn't want to take any chances.

As I read about the landslide Boston Red Sox victory, I got a very strange feeling, like a cold wave passing over me. I slowly lowered my newspaper, and saw all three Furies sitting in the front row. I almost dropped the newspaper in surprise. I saw them as the truly were: creatures with brown leathery skin, claws for feet and bat wings protruding from their backs. The mortals, deceived by magical Mist, could probably only see three old women. I was expecting monsters, but not Hades' three worst aides. At the same time, I was relieved that I hadn't lost my ability to detect monsters, not just yet. I retrieved the newspaper, turned the page, and began reading _Ten Reasons You Should Refinance Your House_ as the bus slowly pulled out of the station.

The rain beat on top of the old bus, creating a steady _tap tap tap_ rhythm as we rumbled through the street. Sitting in the back, I got the worst of the bumps and had to constantly readjust my hat and glasses. I thought about cutting little eye holes in the newspaper like I had seen in old mortal mystery films to keep an eye on the passengers, but decided that would be far too obvious. It never worked in the movies, anyways.

Expecting a long bus ride, and with no place for the demigods to go, I closed the newspaper, and put my hat over my eyes to rest. I almost fell asleep, but was disturbed by some commotion in the front of the bus. My eyes shot open, and I saw a scene straight from the days of the gladiators (yes, I'm speaking from experience). Percy was gone, and the Furies were lashing fiery whips at Grover and Annabeth. They hissed at them as they attacked, asking where 'it' was. I wasn't really sure what 'it' was, and I assumed they were asking about Percy.

The rest of the passengers started to scream, and I thought I might as well join in and pretend like a regular, clueless mortal. I threw pieces of the newspaper around to further the pandemonium. Honestly, it was the most excitement I'd seen in a while, and it was a bit fun.

I was jerked back to my senses when the bus rolled violently to the left, and my face met the window on the right. I removed myself from the glass as the bus became a roller coaster ride. It veered left and right, smashing into the sides of the Lincoln tunnel and sending sparks flying. The bus flew out of the tunnel and the inside of the bus was like a popcorn bag in the microwave. People and objects were going everywhere, hitting the windows, floor, and ceiling.

The driver pulled the bus off the highway and onto the rural streets of New Jersey. We were between woods and the Hudson, and slamming into either of those was not going to be pleasant. Someone up front hit the brakes, and the bus careened in a full circle. Trees impacted the thin metal siding of the bus, and emergency lights illuminated the cabin. The door flew open, and everyone made a mad dash for the exit.

I stayed in my seat, pretending to be a terrified passenger. When it was clear no one else except the demigods and Furies were going to stick around, I turned into the air, invisible. I watched as Percy magically reappeared and unsheathed a glowing sword I had never seen before. The Furies turned towards the front and approached Percy and he stood with his sword, ready to slice them into bits. Annabeth and Grover came up from the rear. I could hear them yelling something, but I got the feeling of danger and a chill ran through my spine again. I floated silently through the walls of the bus like a ghost, and reappeared outside. The panicking tourists were on the other side of the bus, screaming and dialing 911.

The air felt electrified, like lightning would strike any second. I heard the trio leave the bus, and just a moment later the bus exploded magnificently. Flame blossomed out of the windows and I shielded my face with my arm as the heat passed over me. I looked to my side, and saw Percy, Grover, and Annabeth run into the woods. I heard a wail from inside the bus, and could sense the Furies still trapped inside. I wanted to talk to them.

With another burst of power, I appeared inside the bus and grabbed one of the three Furies by the arm.

"What do you want from them?" I asked, and flinched as she sunk her claws into my arm. She laughed.

"Ah Aeolus. Breaking the rules!" she hissed. "Yes, I can sense it! More like a demigod now!"

I grew angry and the wind whipped the fire into mini flame tornadoes.

"What does Hades want?" I asked firmly.

The Fury cackled.

"What do you think? He wants the Helm back from the thief!"

Before I could ask any more questions, the terrible trio disappeared, leaving me in the burning bus. Walls of fire and heat surrounded me on every side. I tried to reappear outside the bus, but I had already drained my power too much. I was stuck, and if I didn't find a way out, I was about to become half-immortal barbeque.

I thought fast, and took the wet coat off my back. I held it up like a shield. The fire was closing in on me, and I wasn't sure which way was out. If I made the wrong decision, I would end up in the back of a burning bus with no exit. I turned once or twice, playing a quick game of eeny, meeny, miny, moe. I picked a direction, and flung myself through the flames. The coat didn't do much to protect me, and smoke filled my lungs. Just as I was about to collapse, I saw light streaming through the dense fire and smoke. I lunged for the air, and landed face first in the mud and rain. The emergency responders were already there and were helping the injured. One of them approached me, but I threw the burnt coat on the ground and ran into the forest. I had to keep following Percy Jackson.

Luckily, the rain had softened up the ground enough to leave me plenty of shoes to follow. Unless there was a secret society of teens living in the forests of New Jersey, I was pretty sure Percy and Annabeth would be the only ones leaving human shoe prints in the forest. I was tempted to fly, but I was still too weak. I was barely able to maintain my disguise as it was. Nonetheless, I kept on running. I coughed like crazy as soot and ash exited my lungs. Each breath hurt, and my nostrils felt like they were on fire. I thought about getting some ambrosia, but realized that was in the bag that I left on the recently exploded bus.

Surprisingly, I quickly caught up with the three. I stayed far behind, but just within earshot. They had stopped running a while back, and were slowly walking, picking their way through the forest. When I slowed down, I finally had a chance to collect my thoughts. The one Fury had said something about a 'Helm' and a thief. I knew that could only mean the Helm of Darkness, Hades' symbol of power. Perhaps this was missing too, and Hades blamed Percy. If that was the case, this was a pretty complicated situation. Kronos was no doubt to blame for both the Bolt and Helm, but without the gods knowing this, it was guaranteed civil war on Olympus. I could've stopped there, and walked all the way back to New York and the Empire State Building, rode the magic elevator to the 600th floor, and told all of Olympus about this plot. There were only two problems: 1. I had no evidence and 2. Kronos would no doubt find me and more than likely exact an excruciatingly painful revenge. Until I solved these problems, I had to keep going, but I felt like I was just digging myself a deeper hole.

Wrapped up in my thoughts, I failed to notice that the demigods had disappeared. I almost panicked, but I saw a building in the middle of the forest, lights on and a sign hung above the gate. I recognized the place immediately. It was Medusa's lair, transplanted from Greece like Olympus and moved to the United States. She cleverly disguised it as "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium." Note to future demigods and heroes: If you find an out of place building in the middle of the forest, do not enter. It is a trap. Unfortunately, the three demigods I was following were not experienced, and had already gone in.

I waited outside the building, a warehouse really. It was not very high, and rather long. It was surrounded on all sides by empty land and a gate further out. All around there were statues, or victims rather, frozen in all different positions. A cement boy, no older than 6, stood with another young girl, fear etched on their faces. A centaur crouched behind a bow, eyes wide in terror. Pretty horrifying statues, in my opinion, but I heard Hades loved them. He allegedly decorated his garden with various statues from Medusa, but I had never seen it myself (and I wasn't in a hurry to, either).

I sat down next to a frozen satyr playing the pipes who vaguely reminded me of Grover. They had remarkably similar facial characteristics. More than likely, this satyr was related to Grover. Satyrs had an unfortunate habit of being killed in gruesome manners by a variety of monsters.

As I waited, I expected to hear a scream of utter terror and Medusa's evil cackle at any second. It was only a matter of time. I knew these three had pretty good fighting skills, though, and I was certain they would make it out alive. I wasn't really worried for them. I only noticed how exhausted I was when I laid back next to the frozen satyr, and I slowly drifted to sleep.

I dreamt again, which was completely unexpected and a little discouraging. Kronos spoke to me in the dream.

_Following our little heroes? Good, everything is going according to plan. Everything is perfect_.

I woke up in a cold sweat. That was really unsettling. I wasn't sure if Kronos could see me, but if he could he would see that my appearance had changed completely. It would definitely confirm that I was not mortal, and then he would certainly kill me. A darker thought settled in my mind, though. I wondered if Kronos knew my trick, but kept me as his spy. Maybe he was using a god to help take down the gods. A terrifying plot, but it was plausible.

It took me a second to remember where I was after that. I looked around, and it was darker than it had been. I hoped desperately that I hadn't lost the trail. Luckily, I didn't sleep for long, and I could still hear the three inside Medusa's lair. The sounds had changed, though. It sounded like a struggle. I heard statues being knocked over, and female voices yelling. I could just make out some of the words.

"Run, Percy!" yelled a girl who must have been Annabeth.

"Silence!" Medusa hissed back. "You see why I must destroy the girl, Percy. She is my enemy's daughter." Her voice was smooth and warming. "I shall crush her statue to dust. But you, dear Percy, you need not suffer."

Medusa's classic manipulation at work. Someone muttered something, but it was inaudible.

"Do you really want to help the gods? Do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest, Percy? What will happen if you reach the Underworld? Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue. Less pain. Less pain."

"Percy!" a new voice shouted, which must have been Grover. "Duck! Duck! I'll get her!" I heard sounds like a tree smacking flesh, which was probably what was happening.

"You miserable satyr, I'll add you to my collection!" Medusa yelled, enraged.

"That was for Uncle Ferdinand!"

So Grover did know one of the satyrs frozen in Medusa's collection.

Medusa yelled, and I could hear her hair of snakes hissing.

"Percy!" Annabeth called.

I could hear some more muffled talking, while sounds of the battle raging between Grover and Medusa continued.

"Hey guys! I think she's unconscious!" Grover called out to the other two.

Medusa roared.

"Maybe not," he said, and I heard another _thwap_. Then, I heard something collide with solid cement. I winced, thinking it was probably Grover.

"Hey!" Percy yelled. He must've had some sort of mirror if he hadn't turned to stone by now, that was the only way to defeat Medusa.

"You wouldn't harm an old woman, Percy. I know you wouldn't." How sweet, although I hardly thought Medusa qualified as a 'woman'.

"Percy, don't listen to her!" Grover encouraged.

"Too late." Medusa laughed, and I heard more sounds of struggle. Then, a hiss, different that the others. This sounded like an army of giants exhaling at once, and the sure sign that Medusa had finally been defeated. Maybe she could greet her other two gorgon sisters down in the pits of Tartarus.

I heard the kids groan in disgust as they handled what must've been Medusa's head. It was the only thing that remained, as a spoil of war for the hero to take home. The battle was over, and it was time to follow again. I made myself look like a cement statue as best I could, and waited until the heroes came out of the warehouse. I heard sounds of arguing, and Percy looked angry when he came out. They carried out Medusa's head in a plastic bag, with a smiling face like the ones found in mortal grocery stores.

"I'll be back," Percy said, and walked back into the warehouse.

"Percy. What are you –" Annabeth started, but he already left.

When Percy returned, he had a package and mailing slip in hand. I could just make out the address: Mount Olympus. So Percy was going to send the gods the head of Medusa. Smart guy, also made me happy I didn't live on Olympus. The gods probably were not going to be happy, but with everything else going on (namely preparations for war) I doubted they'd even notice.

Grover said something about Percy being 'impertinent' and Percy agreed. He threw some golden drachmas, Greek money, into a pouch and sent the packed via Hermes Overnight Express. The package rose off the table disappeared with a small noise, off to the main packaging and sorting center run by Hermes. I would've loved to watch the gods open the box on Olympus, but unfortunately I wouldn't get the chance. The trio had already started to move again, and I needed to keep up.

I stood to follow, but I started to experience a familiar feeling of falling backwards. I realized what was happening not a moment too soon, and quickly returned to my demigod disguise. I wouldn't want Kronos to see me as an adult when he was expecting a teenaged half-blood. I landed on solid ground in the realm I now recognized as Tartarus. It was dark and cold, just like I remembered it.

_It is time for your first progress report, my tracker._

His voice sent shivers down my spine and my hair stood on-end.

_What do you have to say for yourself, after your first day?_

I told Kronos everything that had happened, but I left out the part about the Fury telling me about the Helm. I wasn't quite sure how exactly that all fit in, and I wasn't going to tell Kronos about it first. He seemed pleased with my report, which slightly confused me. I hadn't really told him much, and nothing earth shattering had happened.

_You are doing very well._

"Er, thank you, Lord Kronos. What's next?"

_You will stay here for the evening. Tomorrow, I will send you to rejoin the demigods. They will continue to travel west. _

The thought of staying in the Underworld for an evening wasn't exactly pleasant, and I knew there would be no five-star service or breakfast in the morning.

"Of course, Lord Kronos. I will continue to ensure they reach their destination, as planned."

_Perfect. Stay loyal to me, and I will grant you great power in the coming age. Anything you desire will become yours. You will be greater than the Olympians!_

For some reason, I started thinking about how nice it would be to have my own seat of power on Mount Olympus. I would get wider recognition, more respect. It would be great. I shook myself out of it, though, and everything clicked. He knew I was a god, no doubt. He was planning on recruiting other minor gods to aid in his quest, and he would use their resentment against the major Olympians to get them to join. That's why I hadn't been killed yet. I was the guinea pig, the trial god to have the honor of first to align with Kronos. He was just waiting until I admitted I was a god.

No matter how appealing he made it sound, I had to constantly remind myself to stick to the plan, and continue to pretend to be a demigod. I wasn't going to give in to Kronos so easily.

"A mere demigod, greater than the Olympians?" I asked.

_Yes, you shall be one of the greats._

"That sounds so wonderful!" I feigned excitement, then yawned. "I'm pretty exhausted from today's journey. Let me rest, so that I may serve you even more fervently tomorrow!"

_Yes, my servant. Rest._

When he said 'rest', my eyes instantly closed and I fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6: Kronos Recruits Me

Chapter Six: Kronos Recruits Me

If you ever find yourself in need of a place to sleep, Tartarus is not the location. It's dark, damp, and the spirits of the dead are moaning constantly. Not to mention, if you're in Tartarus you're more than likely next to some of the most evil and powerful beings in existence. This is unfortunately where I found myself for one terrible evening. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much. For most of the time, I sat on the floor of a dank cavern, with my eyes wide open ready to blast away whatever got near me. In those short moments when I did drift off to sleep, I had terrible nightmares about being eaten or destroyed by some vicious being.

At some point during the night, I was shaken out of my drowsiness by two voices. Kronos was talking to someone, someone that sounded familiar.

"That's him? Why don't we just kill him now and save us the trouble, Lord," a man said, with a twinge of disgust in his voice.

I backed up closer against the rocks of the cave, with no weapon to defend myself.

_I shall not permit it. For now, he is my guest. He may prove useful later._

"I cannot understand why you suffer these miserable gods, my Lord. I thought our mission was to destroy the gods of Olympus."

_There is much you do not understand, my servant. We will destroy the gods of Olympus, but if this one chooses to help us, it will only be for the better, _Kronos scolded.

There was a silence for a moment, and I drifted back to sleep.

The next day (or what I thought was the next day; I couldn't tell without the sun) I was awoken by Kronos.

_Aeolus, young god, the time has come. _

"You – you didn't call me Leo," I said, perplexed and worried at the same time.

_I knew from the beginning you were no mortal demigod. Your disguise was valiant, but futile end the end._

Fear began to creep into my voice. "So what, now you're just going to get rid of me, trap me in here forever?"

_You misunderstand; we are on the same side._

"No… you are the enemy!" I spat.

_Aeolus, I know you. Watch._

My vision surged forward, and I was standing on a hill outside of Camp Half-Blood. The buildings were the same, but the scene not normal. The infirmary was empty and the armory now looked like a regular camp store. Campers were enjoying themselves out in the afternoon sun, looking carefree and happy. The scene changed again, and I was standing at the entrance to Olympus above the Empire State Building. Everyone was happy, everyone got along. Former enemies walked hand in hand and laughter filled the air. There was no anger or sadness, only joy.

Kronos' voice filled my head again.

_A world where no more blood is spilt in the name of the gods. It can be yours, Aeolus. But look, see what the gods have done._

An image of Zeus appeared in the throne room. He was pacing nervously and the sky outside was darkened with storm clouds. I knew this was the real world.

_He prepares for war with his brothers. The deaths of many approaches, and you have been forgotten, a distant memory. You are not important. He does nothing to help those who have helped him._

I realized with a start that he was right. Zeus left me alone, missing in Tartarus. There was no rescue team coming, no one was searching.

_See your wife on Aeolia._

Iphimedia was sitting alone on the edge of the massive floating island, looking out over the skies.

"Iphimedia!" I called out, but she did not hear me. I reached out to touch her, but my arm passed through her like a ghost. I remembered my promise to her to return in one week. I had lost track of time, but it was surely well past one week. A man appeared behind her, and she stood to greet him. As the man got closer, I realized who it was.

"Hermes?"

The messenger of the gods was carrying a goblet. He smiled and held out his hand. She took it, and they walked back to the main palace laughing like they were having a good time. The palace, my home, was lit up and sounds of a party emanated from inside.

_A party worthy of Dionysus. Your own wife has abandoned you. The gods have led her astray. _

The image dissolved and I found myself back in the pits of Tartarus. Is this what my wife was so concerned about? My face was contorted with anger.

_Why continue to fight for the gods, Aeolus? They are the evil ones, not I. It is their actions that have led to death and pain. But with me, you can stop all that. Make your decision, god of the winds. Will you stand with the tyrant gods of Olympus, or fight for justice and peace?_

"I – I will stand for what is right." My voice broke. "I will stand for the Titans."

It is the great irony of life that the greatest decisions, those which shape the course of history, are made in such simple and short amounts of time. If I had foreseen what this one decision would eventually cost me, I would have given up Aeolia years ago, taken my family and retired in a nice home in Scandinavia. This was not to be my fate, however. Now, I was an agent of Kronos.

_Take down your defenses, Aeolus. There is no need for disguise, now._

I realized I still looked like a demigod camper, and I relaxed back to my normal look. In mortal years, I looked like I was in my mid-twenties. I wore a sky-blue collared shirt and black, stormy pants. After a night in Tartarus, my clothes were frayed and dirty. My white hair had a windblown look.

_Go now; find Hecate, Nemesis and the others. Tell them the time of their glory has come._

"But what of the demigods I was following?"

_Do not worry about them. I will take care of it._

"Lord Kronos, first I must visit my wife on Aeolia."

_Do you think she would believe your story? You have neither evidence nor reason. No, we must triumph first. Then, you may share the peace of the world with her._

Kronos was right. If I tried to convince my wife I was in Tartarus,

Kronos was right. If I tried to convince my wife I was in Tartarus with a resurrected Titan, she would never believe me. How could I ask her about Hermes and the party without her thinking I was spying on her? Only after Kronos rose and the Olympians were overtaken could I speak to her and tell her the truth.

"I will go, Lord Kronos."

_Very good. I have restored your power; you need not concern yourself with the curses of breaking ancient law. When I rise, there shall be no ancient law._

"Thank you, my lord. You are most gracious."

_Yes, now go. Time is a precious thing._

"Yes, my lord." I attempted to teleport myself, to see if my abilities had truly returned to their fullest extent and found that I could. My being seemed to fold itself inwards and I arrived at the summit of Mount Tamalpais in the blink of an eye. I was surprised to find myself there, but I was surely influenced by Kronos. In the old times, Mount Tamalpais had been the location of Mount Othrys, the Titan equivalent of Olympus. Now, nothing remained of the old Titan stronghold.

Here, I tested my power. I summoned the might of the winds, creating a storm and small tornado. I flew, willing the wind to bend around me. Kronos kept his word; I hadn't felt this good in a long time. If he could bend ancient law, there was no doubt he could win over the gods and end their rule.

Firstly, Kronos told me to find Hecate, goddess of magic. Last I heard, she was spending time in the forests of South America. She usually kept to herself, and only had a few close friends. I knew she visited the Underworld often, but other than that I didn't know a lot about her. Luckily, with all my powers restored, I didn't have to search in the dark. As god of the winds, all I had to do was listen to the winds; I could hear everything. I closed my eyes to listen.

The ability to listen to the winds is really an indescribable experience. There is not much that's similar. It's like standing in the middle of a crowded room with lots of people talking, but understanding every conversation. I could hear whisperings from Saigon and shouts from the streets of New York. With this, I quickly discerned Hecate's location. It was a strange place, and I thought I might've been misinformed, but I decided to check it out. According to what I heard, she was in a cave in the San Bernardino Mountains, not far from me. For mortals, it was about an hour flight from Mount Tamalpais to the San Bernardino Mountains, but when you're the god of the winds, it passes in the blink of an eye.

I teleported myself to the mouth of the cave, and was surprised at how out of place it looked. The rest of the mountain was covered with trees, but not a speck of vegetation grew in a wide circle around the cave. Inside the circle, the temperature was ten degrees lower and the humidity was zero. I attempted to enter the cave, but Hecate had apparently set up a barrier and I was unable to enter. I was going to try to disable the barrier by force, but before I could do anything, a woman in black robes appeared next to me. I felt something cold and sharp against my neck, and realized she was holding a knife against my throat. Not the best way to welcome someone to your house, if you ask me.

"Hecate!" I gasped.

"Who are you?" she hissed.

"Aeolus, I'm here on a friendly mission!"

"Friendly? Bah, the word means nothing to me!" She lowered her weapon and flipped it so it was lying flat against her wrist. She grabbed me by the shoulder, muttered some incantation, and we appeared inside the cave. It was surprisingly well-lit with only two torches illuminating the whole cave.

Hecate turned to face me.

"Sit," she commanded, and a chair appeared behind me. I sat on the chair, which felt like it was made of rock. Hecate kept her dagger pointed at me, reminding me that I wasn't a welcome guest.

"Why are you here, and how did you find me?" she demanded.

"I followed the winds, of course. I am here on behalf of Kronos."

She paused, and her grip on the dagger wavered.

"I have not heard that name in many years. Explain quickly, before I grow tired and give you to my empousai. They have not had a good meal in quite a while and they are very hungry."

I shuddered, thinking of Hecate's empousai, vicious blood-thirsty monsters. I opened my mouth to explain, but I was at a loss for words.

"The…er –" I mumbled.

Hecate was starting to look impatient, and I could almost hear growling from the shadows of the cave. Without my willing, I suddenly felt as if Kronos was speaking through me, feeding me the words.

"Hecate, I have a simple offer for you: salvation from the gods who have abandoned you. Where is your great throne upon Olympus? And when they constructed great cabins for their children, were you invited? You were not even given the honor of a cabin, and your children were left as outsiders, hermits to live in the cabin of that autocrat Hermes!" The words flowed so naturally, my intensity increasing with every phrase. I felt as though I were the one listening, not speaking.

A look of hatred slowly started to appear on Hecate's face.

"A war is coming, Hecate. Will you choose to the oppressors, the gods of Olympus? Or will you choose the rightful rulers, the Titans?" I demanded.

Fierce determination burned in her eyes. Like me, her conviction grew with every word.

"I will fight for Kronos, and bring down the Olympians. The true rulers of this world shall rise again and return to their rightful place. The Olympians shall fall!" She was so fervent and so intense it was almost scary, and I swore the torches on the wall were burning brighter. The spirit of Kronos within me fluttered with joy at the sound of her pledge of allegiance

"Prepare yourself. Make ready your weapons, recall your fighters, and arm yourself for battle," I – Kronos told her.

"When shall my empousai taste the sweet blood of mortals again?" she asked me.

"Soon," the Kronos within me crooned. "Soon."

She began to laugh, and my vision blurred. When it cleared again, I was sitting outside the cave, now only a bump in the mountain. There was no opening, and trees grew all around. It was as if Hecate never existed.

I shook myself, trying to get the spirit of Kronos out of me. That was a pretty creepy experience, feeling like I didn't have control over my own body. I tried saying a few words, just to make sure he wasn't in control. I ran over to a small pond to check my appearance, just to make sure I hadn't achieved any Titan-like qualities. To my relief, I still looked like myself.

"You know, I once cursed a boy who had to do the same thing as you."

My head spun around so fast my neck hurt. Behind me stood a woman with a red jacket and black jeans and a whip on her side. At one moment, she looked a bit like Hermes. At the next, she reminded me of Zeus.

"What?" I asked.

"Staring at his reflection. He fell in love with himself," she replied casually.

"Narcissus," I said to myself. "So you're Nemesis."

"That's me."

She held out a hand. I didn't take it, and she dropped her arms to her sides.

"What are you doing so far from home, Aeolus, lost?" she asked, glancing at where the cave used to be.

"No, no. I'm just, shall we say, out scouting." Her presence made me want to take revenge on old enemies.

"Oh, I know quite well what you are up to," she said menacingly.

"Are you here to take me back to Olympus, then? Report me to the gods?"

""Far from it. I am here simply to restore balance to the world. After all, I am the goddess of justice," she replied.

"Justice?" I asked. "You're the goddess of revenge."

"Justice, balance, vengeance," she stated simply. "Say for example a young god tries to interfere with fate. When I was informed, I was all too happy to make sure his powers were... dampened."

"You're the reason I lost my strength at the camp," I declared.

"Of course. No one can hold that much influence over destiny without paying a fair price. Likewise, the gods have held too much power for too long. It's time for them to pay their price."

You know about Kronos?" I asked curiously.

"I have known for quite some time now."

"So you'll help the Titans?"

"I will help whomever will collect the debt of the gods. Balance must be restored."

I felt the spirit of Kronos rejoice within me, as if her affirmation brought him comfort.

"You may inform him that I will provide assistance."

"Rest assured, Nemesis: Kronos is already aware." I paused. "Nemesis, you aren't only concerned with balance, are you? You have a personal grudge against the gods."

She looked unsettled, and her voice had more anger the next time she spoke.

"The gods have forgotten me, disrespected me and my children by not creating a cabin for them at the camp. How could I support them when they neglect me?" she huffed.

She expressed the same frustrations as Hecate, and I understood why she wanted to take revenge against the gods.

"If our business here is concluded-"

"Nemesis, wait," I told her. There was one more thing that bothered me. "What does Zeus know about - well, me?"

"Zeus and the others assume you have run off on another adventure like the last time. Not that he is concerned, though. He believes he has found the thief."

"Percy..." I finished. I was crushed. For just a moment, I had allowed myself to believe that Kronos was lying, and that Zeus still cared and Iphimedia was looking for me. Now I knew that was all false; Zeus didn't care and Iphimedia was probably still partying with Hermes. Nemesis and I shared no further words, and she disappeared through the forest on her motorcycle.

I wandered around the forest for a little while longer, and eventually found myself in a small clearing in the woods. The sun was slowly lowering in the sky, and storm clouds were beginning to gather. The air felt hot and sticky, unusual weather for this area of California.

I figured I'd just spend some time out by myself, since my family and the other gods didn't care about me. Kronos would call me back if he needed me, but I wanted to sit alone for a time. I placed myself at the base of a wide Sequoyah tree. Just as I sat, rain began to fall from the sky in massive sheets of water. I was thankful for the wide branches of the Sequoyah that sheltered me from the deluge. Lighting illuminated the evening sky, and thunder reverberated through the forest. As the rain steadily grew worse, I was engulfed by my despair and self-pity. I was pretty much the most worthless god in history. Zeus forgot about me, my wife moved on, and Kronos was just using me as a mobile speaker system for his recruiting. A terrible way to spend your immortal life, I thought.

A distinct rustle in the trees ahead shook me from my stupor of depression. My head shot up, my eyes trained in the direction of the disturbance, alert and ready to confront whatever it was. I saw no further movement, but I was sure that I had seen something move through the trees, and it was not the wind.

Suddenly, a girl about the age of twelve with a silver bow around her back broke through the tree line. Although the rain continued, the girl did not appear to be wet. I knew she was not a mortal; no regular girl would appear in the forest during a thunderstorm. As she got closer, I realized it was Artemis, goddess of the hunt.

'What is this, Olympian forest?' I asked myself. This was the third goddess I had encountered in this region.

She spoke first. "Aeolus, why are you sitting here in the middle of a storm?"

"I'm just trying to clear my thoughts, Artemis," I told her. "What brings you out here, the hunt?"

"Rather unusual place to be pensive," she muttered to herself. "The hunt indeed brings me in this direction, Aeolus."

"What is the prey this time, goddess?"

"I hunt a few simple evil spirits this evening, the catch will be small. Although - " she paused, looking in multiple directions. "I feel there is something else. Something - " Her eyes locked on me, with the intensity of a seasoned hunter. "-different," she finished.

My heart started to beat faster, like a rabbit being watched by a hungry falcon.

"Perhaps it is nothing," she said, more to herself than to me. A hunting horn sounded in the distance. "I must go, I shall leave you to your thoughts, Aeolus. And do remember to be cautious, many ancient evils roam the world at such a troubling time."

"I appreciate the words of warning, Artemis. Best of luck in the hunt!" Before I finished, Artemis disappeared into the forest. I found myself shaking in the wake of her departure. I hoped she could not sense Kronos, but her behavior suggested otherwise.

Artemis was always so hard to read, I could never tell what she was thinking. It was late and i was getting had not yet called me back to Tartarus, and I was in no rush to return. With no comfortable sleeping back, I launched myself into the clouds, and found a comfortable stratus formation to lie on. Clouds are damp and cold, but they'll do fine as a bed in a crunch. I found a particularly soft spot to lay my head in, and I fell asleep gazing as the starry night far above.


	7. Chapter 7: A Trip Down Memory Lane

Chapter Seven: A Trip Down Memory Lane

That evening, I had a terrible nightmare. It was not an encouraging sign to be dreaming again. I dreamt I was being chased by some terrible monster, and no matter how far I ran, I couldn't escape it. The monster repeated one word again and again, 'danger', as if it was trying to warn me that it was coming. It was strange enough that I had a dream; I assumed they stopped when Kronos granted me my power back. I knew though that this dream meant something, but I couldn't se to make any sense of it. Was it the danger of a coming war, Kronos, or something greater?

I glanced down below the cloud, expecting to see forest below, but instead only saw ocean. I quickly realized that as I slept, the cloud had drifted, and I was now somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. I was always terrible at discerning location at sea. I could get a general sense of direction from which way the wind was blowing, but there was never the characteristic sounds of a city nearby carried over the winds, or the sound of wind brushing through trees in the distance. It was only water for miles and miles around. From my last encounter with Poseidon, I was in no mood for a swim.

I was preparing to simply teleport back to Aeolia when I realized that I had to true destination. I couldn't just go back home; I wasn't ready to face what might be waiting for me there. Camp Half-Blood wasn't an option, and I wasn't going back to Tartarus unless absolutely necessary. I decided that riding this cloud would be my best course of action.

I drew a patch of moisture from the cloud, and fashioned it into a makeshift chair. I positioned myself at the edge of the cloud, allowing myself a view of the sprawling blue ocean beneath me. As I looked down on the waves, something suddenly struck me as odd. The wind almost always blew in towards the west in California, not out over the ocean to the east. Unless a cataclysmic disaster had occurred that shifted global wind patterns, it was nearly impossible for me to end up over the Pacific.

I wondered if some magic had blown me over the ocean but I was the only one in control of the weather, so that wasn't possible. Unless, of course... There was one other person who could've done it, but that alternative wasn't pleasant. I dismissed the thought from my mind.

Thunder rumbled behind me in an otherwise clear sky, and I swore under my breath as my suspicions were confirmed.

"Zeus," I muttered. The god of the sky himself appeared, and I spun around to face him.

"Lord Zeus! An unexpected surprise!" And unwelcome, he was the last person I wanted to see.

"Aeolus, I am relieved to see you."

"Relieved?"

"I heard that you - well, it's no matter. I wanted to inform you that I have found the thief. He was at the camp, just like I suspected. Young Perseus Jackson, son of -"

"Son of Poseidon," I finished.

"You are familiar with him, then. There was no doubt in my mind when I heard about the child of my brother that he was the thief. No doubt the work of my brother trying to usurp me."

I glanced down nervously at the water below, wondering if Poseidon could hear.

"So you brought me here over the Pacific Ocean simply to tell me that your nephew is the thief?" He could have just as easily used Hermes to deliver that message.

"Brought you here? I found you here, I assumed you came here yourself."

"Wait, you didn't - so who - " Kronos. It had to be Kronos. I couldn't tell Zeus that, though. "Er, yes, I came to watch some whales and relax," I said, trying to pass off my confusion. "I must've drifted off to sleep last night up here."

"Of course. It's a beautiful view, and reminds me of Greece," Zeus told me. Thankfully he believed my story. "There is one other thing I would like to talk to you about, Aeolus."

My heart rate started to increase again. "Anything, Lord Zeus."

"I know you spoke with Nemesis." His voice sounded soft again, and I panicked.

"I - I can explain-" I sputtered.

Zeus held up his hand.

"Please, Aeolus, it is I that must explain. I must apologize for your weakness. It was I that originally asked Nemesis to take away your strength. It would have looked suspicious had I allowed you to go unrestricted, you understand," he said apologetically.

My worry slowly turned to bitterness, and I only nodded in response. I helped him, and he turned his back on me.

"I have asked her to return your powers, but she has not yet responded. Have you been any better?"

"It's been... off and on," I admitted truthfully. Nemesis was working for Kronos now, no wonder she hadn't responded.

"I felt I needed to apologize personally for this. After all, I know what a toll it was the last time you were - limited," he said, referring to Thalia.

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Lord Zeus." Too little, too late, sky king.

"I'm glad you understand. Now if you'll excuse me, we are still actively preparing for war, because the bolt has not yet been returned."

"Of course, Lord Zeus," I said, all too eager to be rid of him.

Zeus disappeared into a grey thunder cloud, leaving only the faintest feeling of electricity in the air. I collapsed in my cloud chair, mentally and physically exhausted from the deception and betrayal of the past days.

_Tired already, god of the winds? Your duty has just begun._ Kronos' voice sounded like icy daggers.

'Will I never get a break?' I muttered to myself. Kronos laughed, and my cloud dissipated. For the first time, I fell through the open air with no control over my descent. I wasn't very high above the water, and I was certain I would hit the water at unpleasant speeds. I waited for something to happen, but the water only got closer. The sea began to fill my vision, and I shut my eyes for impact. To my surprise, I did not hit the water. I continued to fall, and the air got colder. I opened my eyes to a familiar darkness. I felt myself slowing, and was able to land on the rocky ground below on my feet. I had no question about my location; Kronos called me back to Tartarus.

_Welcome back,_ Kronos said flatly, and I kneeled.

_Stand_, he ordered and I complied. _I see you've had success with Hecate and Nemesis._

"Yes, Lord Kronos. They are both ready and willing to fight for the Titans," I reported.

_Very good. With each pledge I can feel my strength returning. I shall rise again, our plans will surely succeed._

"Yes, Lord Kronos." So Kronos gained power from each pledge of support. It reminded me of the mortal radio stations asking for money and support during pledge drives: 'For only two dollars a month, you can help the Titan Kronos rise again!"

"What do you desire, Lord?"

_It is not about me now, it is about you_.

"Me, Lord? I'm not sure I understand."

_I want to know about your life, Aeolus._

I wasn't sure why he wanted to know about my life, it was slightly unnerving. "Of course, I will try to recount exactly -"

_No words will be necessary. We will see. _

At first, I didn't understand what he meant, but my vision surged forwards, and suddenly the darkness of Tartarus transformed into a beautiful grassy field, lit by the midafternoon sun. Children were playing, running through the field and laughing. I looked around and saw one bo sitting by himself under a tree, looking miserable. I stepped closer and gasped audibly, recognizing the boy. It was me, about 13 years old, living in Greece. My hair was not white, but dark brown, and I wore sandals and a tunic. My head was lowered and I was running my hands through the dirt.

The scene shifted, and I saw myself about two years older. I was standing alone in a cave, clothes tattered and torn. I held a sword close to me, and my face was etched with fear and worry. A growl emanated from deep within the cave, and someone shouted. The fear on my face turned to grim determination. I ran deeper into the cave.

Again, the scene changed. I was on Olympus, before the twelve great Olympians. Zeus smiled at me and I beamed with confidence. He stood next to me in mortal size. I remembered the scene; it was the day I earned my immortality.

Zeus spoke. "Aeolus, due to your courage and heroic endurance, the council has unanimously decided to grant you immortality."

The younger version of me looked to the back of the hall, as if searching for someone. I knew what came next.

"I accept," the younger me declared, "on one condition."

Zeus raised his eyebrows, and I whispered something in his ear. He nodded, and smiled briefly. He turned to face the other gods. They said nothing, but seemed to communicate subconsciously. Some looked unhappy, while others nodded as well.

"So it is decided," Zeus said, and the younger me looked nervous. "We approve it."

My younger twin smiled wider and reached a hand out. A young girl took my hand, Iphimedia. Together, we were enveloped in golden light.

After another landscape change, I saw myself standing with Iphimedia at the entrance to Aeolia. My hair had turned white, and I wore a dark blue cape. It was the day we moved in to Aeolia. The island looked half completed, with scaffolding everywhere. Harpies scurried around, carrying construction equipment. It was a busy day, but I was happy.

Aeolia transformed into Brooklyn. I saw myself again, but this time I looked like a teenager again, with an orange Camp Half-Blood shirt on. I had a small bronze dagger in a sheath on my waist. I was waiting nervously outside a rundown building somewhere in the city. Rain was coming down hard, and cars drove by on the street, splashing water on me. Suddenly, a satyr and three teenagers burst through the doors of the building, looking beaten and exhausted. A boy with sandy blond hair and blue eyes stood with bowed shoulders, holding some sort of wooden board. At one point, he could've been an athlete, but now he looked like he had been used as target practice. A girl, younger than the others, stood with a bloodied dagger. She had blond hair and profound grey eyes. Another girl with dark hair, dark clothes, and electric blue eyes had a particularly nasty cut on her face. She held a spear in her hand. The satyr, with brown hair and brown eyes, was shaking. It was the day I first met Grover, Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth.

Grover looked at me, wide-eyed, but I spent no time on introductions.

"Follow me! I'm going to help you!" I told them. Grover ran straight for me, but the other three hesitated. Annabeth, the youngest in the group, hid behind Luke.

"Why should we trust you? We don't even know your name," Thalia said.

"My name's Leo, I'm from the camp. Please, we don't have much time," I pleaded; a growl came from the house, eerily similar to the one I heard so many millennia ago in the cave.

The group needed no further convincing. They followed as I led them through the streets and into an abandoned apartment building. We ran up one flight of stairs and faced a locked door. I held up a hand against the handle, and the door unlocked. I ushered them inside, and slammed the door behind me. They all collapsed on an old sofa in the middle of the room. After they recovered their breath, Luke spoke first.

"How did you find us?" he managed.

"Well, after Grover went missing I came to look for you. I knew you'd be somewhere around here, but I guess I had the favor of the gods by stumbling on you guys. What are all your names?"

"I'm Luke," he said, "that's Thalia," he pointed to the girl with the cut," and that's Annabeth." Annabeth waved meekly.

"You barely made it out of there alive," I said. "Take some ambrosia and heal, but we have to keep moving. This house will only shield us for a short time."

"We lost all our supplies back there to the Cyclops. We have nothing but our weapons," Thalia said.

"The Cyclops," I repeated bitterly. The same one I faced when I was a demigod. I knew what they were up against. "Here, I might have something." I walked back to a kitchen area and opened an old, empty cabinet. I hid my hands behind the door of the cabinet, waved them, and summoned a few squares of ambrosia, a thermos of nectar, a tin can, and an extra sword for Luke. I took them out and brought them over to the group.

"Where-" Luke asked, surprised.

"This place was an old store house on the way to camp, a safe house of sorts, this is all that's left," I said, holding up the supplies. It wasn't a total lie; this was an old safe house during the Civil War, but all the remaining supplies had long since disappeared. "Here, split it up and take some." Each of the three demigods took a piece of the ambrosia, and the color returned to their faces almost immediately. Grover took the tin can, and began munching nervously. It was something he did whenever he got stressed.

We all sat in silence for a moment while Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth finished the ambrosia and took turns drinking nectar. As they sat, I made a quick assessment of the three.

Luke, with blond hair, an upturned nose and a mischievous look in his eyes, was a typical son of Hermes. Annabeth, with grey eyes of wisdom, a child of Athena. Then there was Thalia. She shared a lot in common with her father, but she radiated energy. She was very powerful and unique, this daughter of the greatest Olympian, Zeus. It was no wonder that monsters were drawn to them like a magnet; Thalia's demigod scent to the monsters must have been overpowering.

"Okay guys, obviously the monsters are tracking you like killing demigods is going out of business," I told them. "We've got to get back to the camp as soon as possible. It takes about a day walking from here, but I know a shortcut that will only take us a few hours."

"Hold it," Luke said, raising his hand. "No more shortcuts." The others nodded in agreement. "And you will not determine our route. Just because you led us to this house does not mean that I trust you. This is our family, and no one is going to change that."

I was taken aback by the strain in Luke's voice. "Woah, I'm not here to-"

Luke ignored me. "Grover, still have your acorns?" Grover nodded. "Show us the way home!"

The scene shifted again, and this time the five of us were trudging along the side of an empty highway. Grover was leading and I was left in the rear. The ground was wet and muddy, and we were all having trouble trying to walk through the sludge.

Suddenly, Grover and I paused, and looked up.

"Stop!" I hissed at the others. Luke looked at me briefly, but continued walking.

"Come on," he told the others, annoyed. "Let's keep going."

"But-" Grover protested.

"Luke, wait-" I shouted, but it was too late. A hellhound, a massive dog-like creature, bounded out of the forest and tackled Luke. Caught unaware, he was pinned to the ground by the giant monster.

Thalia tapped her wrist, and her bracelet transformed into a copy of Aegis, Zeus' shield. A terrifying image of Medusa was branded into the front, and could inspire fear in any being. She held it towards the hellhound. The dog backed up for a second, giving Luke the chance to get back on his feet and draw his own weapon, the sword he took from the storehouse. He was a skilled fighter, and was able to keep the hellhound occupied. At that moment, two more hounds burst through the tree line, headed for Thalia and Annabeth.

Thalia raised her shield in defense, and I jumped in front of Annabeth, taking the brunt of the first attack. I thrust my hand into the air, and a bronze sword appeared in my grip. The metal was celestial bronze, specifically designed to destroy monsters but not harm mortals.

Thankfully, in the heat of battle, no one noticed my magical weapon.

I held the dog at bay with the winds, and stabbed it in the soft spot above its collarbone. The hellhound whimpered, and dissolved into ashes. Luke already managed to kill his hellhound and he was aiding Thalia in taking down the last one. Grover was throwing rocks at the beast, while Annabeth held a dagger defensively. I thought she would stay out of the fray, but to my surprise she ran to help the others.

With Thalia and Luke distracting the beast, Annabeth was able to get close enough to attack with her dagger. With one well-placed stab, she turned the monster to dust.

We all stood in an exhausted silence for a moment.

"Well," Luke said finally, "I suppose I owe you an apology, Leo. You're not too bad after all," he finished with grudging respect.

I laughed. "Yeah, neither are you, Luke. Neither are you."

As if someone pressed fast forward, we suddenly appeared at the base of the hill at Camp Half-Blood. The five of us looked worse; the journey here had not been easy. We were racing forward, a mass of monsters following close behind.

"Move!" Luke yelled, encouraging us forward, but we were already moving as fast as we could. I soon realized that we could not outrun the monsters, and Thalia and Luke seemed to come to the same understanding. Thalia looked at both of us and mouthed the word 'go'. She took out her spear, and turned to face the monsters.

Luke hesitated for just a moment, but his face was quickly set with steely determination. He turned back, rounded up Grover and Annabeth, and led them up the hill. I knew the only way to save everyone was to summon the winds and destroy the monsters. I pretended to turn and run up the hill, but I used the opportunity to prepare a wind buffer to lift myself into the air. I jumped, expecting to be caught by the wind. Instead, I fell flat on my face into the mud.

I would've spent time wondering what happened, but I didn't have the luxury of time. I spun around and saw the monsters right on Thalia. I waved my hand, expecting the first monster to turn to dust but again, nothing happened. Thalia was hit and looked like she couldn't handle much more. I was desperate now. I still had a celestial bronze dagger with me. I took it out, and ran full force at the first monster I saw, a hellhound. I came within about 10 yards of it, and hit a wall. A literal wall. My body impacted this invisible barrier, but my mind had no time to register what happened.

I saw Thalia fall. I knew I was shouting, but I couldn't hear a thing. I saw monsters advancing and felt a pair of arms grab me, but it didn't matter. Thalia was dead and it was my fault.


	8. Chapter 8: When in Rome

Chapter Eight: When in Rome

Although I knew it was only a memory, the pain I experienced now felt just as real as it had that dark night. It was after her death that I decided to never be involved with demigods again, and I began to question the gods' use of half-bloods. Was it truly necessary to take the life of a mortal for the immortal life to continue?

My memories continued to play before me like a movie, showing the last day I spent at the camp after Thalia died; the time I said goodbye to Luke, Grover, and Annabeth for what I swore would be the last time. I watched myself walk out over the hill and then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the replay of my life stopped.

It took me a moment to remember I was in Tartarus, in the furthest reaches of Hades. I collapsed against the rocky walls and slumped down. As I sat, wave after wave of emotion rolled over me like a tsunami. There wasn't a day I didn't think about all the 'what ifs'. Maybe if I had reacted faster, or if we didn't take so long on the highway, we could've made it. Maybe if I weren't a god, if I were just a regular camper, could I have saved everyone?

_Another demigod died due to the rash actions of the gods_, Kronos said, breaking through my thoughts. His presence made me feel naked and exposed. He saw everything and now there was nothing he didn't know about me. He knew my strengths and my weaknesses, my family and friends. Perhaps that's the reason why he wanted to know about me, watch my life unfold.

No words came, and I could only manage a nod in response.

_Your motivation is true, Aeolus, and your actions just. I know now my selection was correct, _he told me. In some twisted way, motivation from the great Titan Kronos gave me a sense of pride.

_Aeolus, there is something more I require before our great triumph can be successful._

"What is it, my lord?" I asked, after I finally collected myself enough to speak.

_I have need for a proper container for my body, when I finally gain enough power to rise again in my true form._

"Where might I find such a container, Lord Kronos?"

_There was a sarcophagus of gold constructed many centuries ago in my honor. It once rested on Mount Othrys, but it was stolen by demigods. It must be recovered for my body to reform, _he told me.

Mount Othrys, the home of the Titans. I knew it was somewhere in the San Francisco area of California, but how demigods from the East Coast of the United States could cross the continent and steal a golden casket was a mystery.

"The demigods, my lord? Where did they take it to?" I thought they might've simply thrown it into the ocean.

_To their camp, where it is now displayed before all._

"Camp Half-Blood?" I asked, amazed. I had never seen or heard about this golden sarcophagus in all my time there.

_No, this is not of the Greeks, but of the Romans. They have stolen it away to the region known as Camp Jupiter._

I knew the Roman demigods, children of the gods in Roman form. They called the gods by their Roman names and maintained Roman discipline and structure. Some gods had vastly different personalities between their Greek and Roman forms, and experienced severe personality clashes whenever the two sides met. Fortunately for me, my name and appearance remained the same when civilization shifted from Greece to Rome, and I was not subject to name confusion.

The Roman demigods also had a very lengthy and violent feud with the Greek demigods, stretching back to ancient times. It came to a head in the American Civil War, a direct result of encounters between the two groups of half-bloods. After the destruction, the gods permanently separated them. As a result, the Romans maintained a camp similar to Camp Half-Blood in the Bay Area near San Francisco.

"How am I to obtain the sarcophagus, my lord?" I asked. It would be difficult to convince them to give me the coffin; it was surely a symbol of pride among the Romans. Besides, even though I was a recognized Roman god as well, my name was so Greek they might try to kill me on the spot.

_Bargain or steal, I do not care which. It must be returned to me soon._

"I understand, Lord Kronos. I shall not fail to obtain it."

_I expect nothing less, my wind god_. Perhaps he meant it as a vote of confidence, but these few words conveyed a concealed threat in the event of my failure. This only fueled my determination.

_Go now, time is against us, _he told me, with a sense of urgency.

"Yes, my lord." The wind around me spun, and I disappeared from the depths of Tartarus.

The salty scent of the sea caught my attention, first. I was standing atop a mountain, overlooking a valley filled with activity. Buildings shaped in the image of Rome dotted the landscape, and a river ran through the hills and into the valley, collecting in a small lake in the central part of the city. There were a Coliseum and a forum, and further out there were temples. I saw barracks and teens dressed in Roman armor walking the length of a wide dirt road.

If I were to receive anything from the Romans, especially a golden sarcophagus, I decided the best way was to demand it invoking my full status as a god. I transformed my clothes into a traditional Roman toga with a purple sash flowing across my chest. I threw in a golden cord around my waist for effect.

With great splendor and magnificence, I appeared floating above the great marble temple of Jupiter (or Zeus, as he was known in Greece). At this point, I was nearly twenty feet tall, far greater than mortal size. The wind roared and thunder crashed, emphasizing my arrival. It didn't take long before people of all ages began to gather around the temple. Rather than kneeling in awe, however, they simply stood, looking unimpressed.

"Look, he is above Jupiter's temple," one said to another.

"But he isn't Jupiter; how improper!" the other replied back.

"Well maybe if you built me a temple, I wouldn't have to rent space!" I rumbled, and they quieted.

"Who are you, anyway?" a young boy demanded, dressed in full armor.

"I am Aeolus, god of the winds!" I boomed, hoping to impress. "I am here to demand tribute, for it is long overdue!" The winds howled even louder, but still, the crowd remained unemotional. "The golden sarcophagus must be handed over by sundown, or there will be severe retribution!" I threw in more thunder.

Some of the campers snickered.

"We're all very impressed by your special effects, Logan. Now come down from there, before Terminus finds you," the boy again called out.

So these children did not believe I was a god? No matter, I would prove it to them.

"How dare you disrespect a god in such a manner," I thundered.

I raised the boy who had called out to me on the winds, lifting him well above the crowd for all to see. He shouted out in surprise.

"See and understand, residents of Camp Jupiter!" I spun him so he was facing the crowd. A simple gesture, but I guess it had the intended effect, as people all around slowly began to kneel.

"Alright Aeolus, you have demonstrated your power. Please, release me so that we may further discuss your tribute!" the floating boy called out.

"Release you?" I asked, and snickered evilly. The winds released him, and I let him free fall a few feet. He shouted wildly, and others on the ground gasped but the wind caught him before he fell too far. "You Romans don't know how to have fun!" I said jokingly. The wind slowly let him to the ground, and my great 'special effects' died down. I landed softly on the ground, returning to mortal size and replacing my toga with my normal blue collared shirt.

"I'm glad we can talk reasonably," I told the group that was assembled. "Please, stand. All this honor is making me feel strange!"

The group complied, and the young man I had lifted on the winds approached, humbled.

"Please, great Aeolus, come to the mess hall so that we may throw a great feast in your honor!" he said, bowing deeply.

"Not necessary, but I appreciate it. I will not refuse your hospitality." These Roman demigods were very nice once you earned their respect. "Now what is your name?" I asked the boy.

"I am Kent Deskins, Praetor of Camp Jupiter and son of Mars Ultor," he declared proudly, as he led me down a dirt road. The others followed behind, keeping a safe distance.

"Praetor, are you? Impressive," I told him, and he smiled. "Now where is the other one? There are supposed to be two Praetors, correct?" I asked, recalling my knowledge about Roman legions.

"Eric is my co-Praetor. He's away on a quest now, but he should be back soon," Kent told me as we took a sharp right. Ahead of us was the main city, bustling with activity. White marble buildings topped with red tile lined the streets, and I could make out everything from shops to personal residences. As we neared, my attention was draw to a shouting mound of stone.

"You! Yes, the one I'm pointing at!" it shouted to a passerby. "Your tunic is nearly one centimeter below regulation!" I recognized this incessant voice.

"Is that –" I began.

"A statue?" Kent finished. "Not exactly. That is Terminus, the god of boundaries. He controls everything that enters and exits New Rome."

"Well of course I know who he is," I snapped, a bit harshly. The last time I saw Terminus, we hadn't left on good terms, exactly. "I just couldn't believe it is actually him."

"Oh," Kent said awkwardly, and stared at the ground.

"Terminus!" I shouted, and the statue looked up at us.

"Who is shouting? At least five decibels above regulation!" he cried back.

"Terminus, it is I, Aeolus," I said as we came up to the border.

"Cure this day that I meet you again," I heard him mutter under his breath.

"I see you haven't forgotten me," I said, slightly disappointed. I thought 3000 years would be enough time for someone to get over an accident, but perhaps not.

"Maybe I'll forget you when you repay me for the statue you destroyed!" he said, raising his voice.

"Maybe if you hadn't put them directly in the path of the tornado –"

"Why would you even create a tornado near the village area?"

"I gave you at least two weeks advance warning to get your things out of the way but did you listen? No!" I shouted.

Kent stepped between us, held up his hands and spoke with the authority of Mars.

"Please, I will not have a battle in New Rome. Terminus, Aeolus is our guest and he must be allowed through," he said.

"Alright," Terminus said, yielding the path to us, "but only because the Praetor orders it," he finished, glaring at me. "If you step one toe out of line," he said to me, "you will regret ever coming to New Rome."

I said nothing in response, but frowned at him as we passed at he met my stare.

"I apologize for Terminus, he can be irritating sometimes," Kent asked when we were out of earshot.

"Trust me, I know," I told him.

"So what exactly happened between you two?" he asked cautiously.

"Thousands of years ago, at the request of the gods I sent a tornado through a valley near Rome. Although it was common knowledge among both mortals and immortals that the tornado was coming, he refused to move his precious stones, and one of them was destroyed. He hasn't forgiven me since," I recounted bitterly.

"I'm sorry to hear it," he said, as he stopped before a grand building of white marble, with large ionic columns. "Now this," he began enthusiastically, eager to change subjects, "is our Senate House. Over there," he pointed further down the road, "you'll find the Forum, Coliseum, and Circus Maximus. Further to the north are the residential areas, where older demigods and their children can live, free of danger. All this within the borders is the great city of New Rome."

I nodded politely and surveyed the landscape. I was not, however, interested in the great features of their camp. I was looking for the golden sarcophagus. We continued to walk for some time, while Kent described different buildings and their historical significance. I knew Kronos was waiting, but I figured I could spare some time on a campus tour. The crowd behind us had long since dispersed, leaving just us on the expedition around the city. However on the fifth turn down 'beautiful Via Giulia' as Kent so eloquently stated, I knew something was up.

"Kent, I hate to interrupt your clearly well-prepared guided tour, but I do believe we've already been down this road," I told him. He spun to face me, a look of guilt on his face as if I'd just caught him in a ruse.

"Er, perhaps I took a wrong turn." He glanced momentarily at the sky. "The sun is already setting! Let's get to the mess hall so we can celebrate your arrival with a feast!"

I looked up at the sun, and was surprised to see it already low in the sky. I turned back to Kent, but he was already making his way back down the road. I followed as close as I could, weaving between shoppers and demigods in the busy streets. Finally, we made it back to the border of New Rome. Thankfully, Terminus was out of sight.

"It's just a short walk down Via Praetoria from here," Kent told me. This left me curious as to why he led me in circles just to come back out the same way we came in.

We walked down the Via Praetoria, another dirt road through the camp. I could see a vast field far in the distance. Kent caught my gaze.

"Ah, the great Field of Mars," he stated grandly. "Named for my father, it is where we host the glorious games of Rome. War games, deathball, marching drills, it all occurs there."

I nodded, taking in the scene. Then, for the first time during my visit to Camp Jupiter, I saw a satyr. Or faun rather, as the Romans call them. He looked thin and his fur was shaggy. His clothes were rumpled and torn in some places, and he sat in the field off the road. When he saw us, a smile lit up his face.

"Kent! Hey, Kent! Who's that?" the faun called out. Kent simply ignored him. "A guest, huh?" the faun continued, undeterred. "Hey guest! You wouldn't happen to have any spare change, would you? Some denarii would be great!"

Kent turned to him and swiftly pulled out his sword, holding it against the faun's throat. "Leave, you worthless lout. Your kind is not accepted here," he told him.

The faun fearfully retreated away from the pathway, scampering as fast as he could. I stood in silence, too shocked to speak.

"Fauns are a pest here, constantly begging, trying to get something from anyone that passes," Kent told me indifferently.

I didn't understand why fauns were treated so differently by the Romans, but I didn't have much time to ponder it. In a few more paces, we arrived at a heavily guarded gate. Crossbow-like weapons were mounted all around and pointed straight at the path, ready to welcome any unfortunate visitor who arrived unannounced.

"This," Kent declared, "is the Praetorian Gate. It stands guarding the entrance to our official camp grounds. Past these gates, you'll find the barracks, baths, mess hall, and our camp headquarters." He led me through the gates and onto a main road, filled with half-bloods in Roman armor, many carrying various deadly weapons. "Come, it is time for the feast!"

The mess hall wasn't hard to spot; nearly all the campers were moving towards it. The dining hall was impressive, with high ceilings lined with cedar beams, from which war banners hung. Racks of weapons lined the walls, and tables were layer out throughout the room. Around the tables were set a series of couches, in traditional Roman style. Kent explained that the campers were split into different segments, or cohorts, each led by a centurion. Each cohort had an area to sit at in the hall. The praetors and officers had a special table at the front of the group, where I would be sitting.

Dinner had not yet begun, but already campers were beginning to file in, and their chatter filled the hall. The whole camp was aware of my presence, and no one spoke as they passed our table. Along with demigods, I began to see transparent beings filter in, as well.

"Lares," Kent said.

"What?" I looked at him.

"The ghosts, they're called Lares," he told me.

"Ah," I responded absently as I gazed at them. They were dressed in all different styles of tunics that I recognized anywhere from the old Roman Republic to the late Roman Empire.

Centurions slowly filled the remaining seats at the praetors' table and introduced themselves to me individually. There was a Jamie, David, Tyler, Walter, and Ethan, one son of Vulcan, two of Mercury, one of Mars, and one of Ceres, respectively. Honestly I wasn't paying much attention to their introductions and I was constantly confusing one with another.

After everyone had been seated, one of the centurions rose, brandished a horn and sounded it, and the campers grew quiet. Kent stood to address the crowd.

"Welcome to all. Before we eat, I'm sure you all know we have a guest with us. This is Aeolus, god of the winds."

The campers clapped politely, and I waved.

"Tonight we feast in his honor. Now, we will also be having war games tonight."

Everyone cheered wildly. One of the demigods at a far table stood and shouted to the front.

"Hey, how about the god plays, too?" he yelled, and other campers quickly started bellowing their affirmation.

"We want Aeolus!" they cheered in unison.

"Pacem!" Kent thundered, holding up his hands. "This is an unusual request, but the people demand it," he said, turning to me. "Will you join us in the war games?"

A few half-bloods whistled, and I waited a moment before responding. I still didn't have the sarcophagus, but I would probably have a better chance of getting it if I earned their respect in the war games.

"I, Aeolus, will join in the Roman war games!" I declared, and the hall broke out in a frenzy of excitement.

Again, Kent held up his hands.

"With that then, dinner is served!"

He motioned to the walls, and I felt a familiar gust of wind. I gasped as aurae, or wind spirits, burst through carrying plates of food and goblets filled with drink. I watched them fly through the aisles, delivering dinner to the campers. I could hear them as they whispered to one another.

"He is here," they said. "The great god of the winds is here." Each had the appearance of a teenage girl with elfin features. They moved with amazing grace, dresses like fog waving in the wind. Truthfully, there were so many spirits of nature and the wind that over the years I lost track of them all; I had no idea aurae settled at Camp Jupiter, and it made me curious as to where all the other aurae and aura were.

They served me a great turkey, cooked to perfection and accompanied by the most delicious cider I have tasted. Although it wasn't nectar and ambrosia, it certainly passed as an acceptable substitute.

One approached the praetors' table too fast, and launched a plate of steaming gravy straight at me. I got a mouthful of the sauce, and my entire upper torso was covered. All the other aurae immediately stopped, and the room stood in dead silence. The poor aurae that dropped the food was still on the ground, looking like she was about to dissolve in shame, and Kent had a look of utter rage on his face. To everyone's surprise though, I simply laughed, magically clearing away the mess.

"Please," I started, "no use crying over spilt gravy." The chatter in the room quickly resumed, and the aurae on the ground stood to leave. She glanced at me, and I looked her in the eyes. Startling brown eyes that I had seen before. "Mellie?" I asked slowly, but the aurae had already disappeared. I definitely knew those eyes, though. The same eyes that first greeted me to Aeolia, that saw the births of all twelve of my children. The eyes that suddenly disappeared one night, never to be seen by me again. That was Mellie, without a doubt. But what, I asked myself, was she doing at Camp Jupiter?

Just as suddenly as they appeared, the aurae disappeared and the tables were left cleaned, as though they were new. For the second time, the horn was sounded at the head of the table, and this time we all stood.

"I hope you all have enjoyed this great feast," Kent announced to all. "Without further ado, let the games begin!" The campers cheered and rushed towards the walls, grabbing armor and weapons. "Leo," he said to me, using my nickname for the first time, "You'll be fighting along with the, er, Fifth Cohort, the attacking team. This time, I will also be playing, but I will be with the First, defending." I nodded, and he pointed to the weapons rack. "If you need a sword - " he began, but I simply held up my hand, and a bronze sword appeared. My clothes transformed into full Roman lorica segmentata armor. "Impressive," he said, examining the sword. "Celestial bronze, I see?"

"Only the finest," I responded. He unsheathed his own weapon, a mighty golden sword.

"I prefer Imperial Gold," he told me, the sword catching the light. "This was a gift from my father," he told me proudly. He then motioned to the door, where all the other campers were now exiting, weapons and armor in hand. "Shall we?"

I followed Kent in the grand exodus towards the Field of Mars.

A solid parade of demigods clad in battle armor marched down the Via Praetoria, their boots creating a terrifying rhythm as they stomped through the dirt. Further up the road, I saw the massive group split in two; one headed to the right to an imposing fortress, while the other trudged to the left, towards the forest and a rather out of place elephant.

"The Fifth Cohort is on the offense tonight, so you'll be going to the left," Kent told me, and my face dropped a bit. Those in the Fifth Cohort did not look like the winning team, to put it kindly. Most of their armor didn't fit and their weapons looked old and broken. Some of them weren't even carrying weapons.

"You don't mind, do you?" Kent said quickly, noticing my disappointment. He lowered his voice. "They've been losing for a while now and I thought you might be able to help." He gave me an apologetic smile.

Great, stuck with the underdogs. "It's alright, I understand," I told him. I turned resolutely to the left, ready to meet my new teammates.

When I got there, rather than preparing the Fifth Cohort was standing around in a circle, apparently having already accepted their losing fate. The centurion had his helmet over his eyes and was leaning against a rock.

"Tyler." One of the demigods nudged the centurion after she saw me.

"I told you not to bother me, we're just going to lose," he mumbled, and turned.

"Tyler!" she repeated more urgently, jabbing him in the side. He lifted the helmet, and saw me.

"Wha – oh!" he said with a start. He stumbled up and subsequently fell to his knees, and the others followed suite. "Aeolus! I'm honored to have you join our honorable Cohort!" he told me graciously.

"Psh, honorable," one of the campers muttered under his breath, and Tyler hit his head.

"Please, stand. Apparently I'm here to save your, er, honorable Cohort," I said, stifling a laugh. All the campers stood, and Tyler came to the front of the group, holding out a hand.

"Well my name's Tyler. We met at the dinner," he said, and I shook his hand cautiously. "Here's Heather," he said, pointing to the girl that jabbed him, "Rick, Ethan, Devon, and Bella." A boy, younger and shorter than the rest, popped up behind them. He was wearing the traditional purple Roman t-shirt, and a clay tablet reading _Probatio_ hung around his neck. "Oh, and that's – "

"Jason," the boy finished proudly. He was clearly a rookie, but his energy… it was almost – electric.

"Jason," I repeated. His eyes were a stunning blue; I had seen those somewhere before. "Jason," I started on a hunch, "Do you have a sister?"

He looked at me strangely and sat in silence for a moment before responding.

"Yes," he said slowly. "Her name is Thalia Grace."


	9. Chapter 9: The War Games

Chapter Nine: The War Games

I didn't tell Jason about what happened to Thalia; I couldn't bring myself to do it. I brushed off his questions, saying that it was only a rumor I heard on the winds.

"But how did you know she was _my _sister?" he persisted. I was saved the burden of responding by the sound of a horn. Both teams of campers gathered around the center of the field.

"Alright, you all know the rules," Kent announced. "Tonight, I'll be defending with the First and Third; Aeolus will fight along the Fifth, Second, and Fourth." The Fifth Cohort gave a weak cheer. "You have 15 minutes to plan," he looked at us, "or pray to whatever deity might hear you. Then, the war games commence."

The whole crowd buzzed with excitement, and the three cohorts on the offense retreated back into the forest. I followed as they entered a clearing. The Second, Fourth, and Fifth quickly formed ranks, while I stood in observation. Two centurions from each cohort retreated into a group, and Tyler motioned for me to join.

"Alright officers, time to discuss the war plan," one from the Second Cohort said.

"I hate to interrupt, but what plan?" I asked. "All I have to do is immobilize the enemy, waltz in to the fort, and we win," I told them, pointing out the obvious.

"Not possible," a centurion from the Fourth said. "In the War Games, a god specifically cannot win by him or herself. Now what if we use the elephant –"

"Forget about the elephant!" I snapped. "I immobilize the enemy, and one of you waltzes right in and we win. Quick and easy." A few of the centurions still looked unconvinced, and I shrugged my shoulders. "Seriously, I'm a god. How can we lose?"

"Well actually –" another began, glancing nervously at Tyler, who promptly interrupted him.

"Alright, alright. Everyone knows there's a curse of the Fifth Cohort and we haven't been able to win, no surprise there," he sighed.

"A curse!" I scoffed. "It doesn't matter, we'll still win, I can promise you that. You have to have a bit of faith! Now let's get ready, our time is almost up!" I tried to sound encouraging; I couldn't believe they thought we were going to lose just because of some curse. A curse trumping a god, really?

The centurions returned to their respective cohorts, organizing them into some sort of order in preparation for battle. Demigods made last minute scrambles for armor and weapons. I stood in front of the whole group, modeling my 'brave Roman commander' look.

Another horn sounded in the distance, and the sound of an oncoming enemy emanated from the other side of the clearing. The whole Fifth Cohort flinched, and I laughed. I waved my hand, and the sounds of approaching battle ceased.

"All clear, we're good to go!" I shouted at them, and I started walking towards the fort in the distance at a leisurely pace. The Second and Fourth Cohorts marched behind me, but the Fifth Cohort hesitated. I stopped, and turned to face them.

"Really, they're all frozen. What's going to –" I was interrupted by a whoosh immediately followed by sharp pain in my right arm.

"Ow! What's the deal?" I looked and saw Kent proudly holding a sword with a drop of golden ichor on it, and a cut in my arm. I looked at him in amazement.

"Saw what you did to the other cohort back there. Sorry, Leo, but my cohort's blessed by Ares. No minor god magic works on them in this battle." With that, a full cohort burst through the trees, weapons bared.

The way he said 'minor god magic' infuriated me, and my sword appeared instantly in my hands. The other cohorts had broken ranks behind us, and were now fighting one-on-one with the surprise attackers. I immediately lunged for Kent, but he blocked my jab. I took a low swing, but it was again rebuffed. Sparks flew as our swords clashed.

"I – thought – you – were – defense!" I told him, punctuating each word with a slash.

"The best defense is a good offense," he replied, skillfully repelling each blow.

"Doesn't matter, you're outnumbered three to one!" I told him, barely dodging his offensive cut.

He laughed in reply. "Look around!"

I did, and I immediately understood why this team was not going to win. Most of the Fifth was lying on the ground, wounded. Those who escaped fled into the forest. The Fourth Cohort wasn't in a much better position, with only a few remaining fighters. The Second appeared to be in some semblance of a formation, and was valiantly trying to hold off the attackers of the First, but it was clearly a losing battle. But I made a promise to my team.

I sent a burst of wind towards Kent, catching him by surprise and sending him flying backwards. Not wanting to miss this free opportunity, I launched myself into the wind, letting it carry me straight for the fort. Kent's shock didn't last for long, and he was quickly up and running behind me. He was incredibly fast and almost caught up with me. I sent another blast of air towards him and lifted myself higher. This time, though, he knew my trick and side-stepped the wind. He hurled his sword towards me, nicking me in the back of the ankle. I cursed under my breath and slowed a bit. The distance between us was closing fast but I could see the fort ahead. I mustered all my power, speeding towards the fort, and Kent quickly disappeared behind me.

I was nearly at the great gates of the fort when warm air hit my face and massive claws raked my back. I was knocked off my patch of wind and into the hard dirt below. I scrambled to get up, and spat mud out of my mouth. Above me, Kent had reappeared atop a massive flying eagle.

"Stupid animals," I muttered. I guess the eagle heard me, because his eyes immediately locked on me, and he dove with a wild eagle scream. I leaped out of the way not a moment too soon, as the eagle dug a good gash in the earth with his beak.

"Woah, vicious animals!" I said to no one in particular.

"Didn't think I give up that easily, did you?" Kent asked from his flying bird of prey.

"But I'm the god of the wind, Kent. And you're flying through, um, the wind." I waved my hand, and the bird's wings folded, sending it for a nosedive. Kent yelled in terror as his ride dropped from the sky. "Happy landings," I yelled, and launched myself towards the fort once again.

I reached the massive metal gates of the fort unhindered. It would've been simple for me to simply fly over the gates, but I wanted to make sure I paid them back for ambushing our team. With a swift motion of the arm, the metal instantly crumbled to dust. As the dust dissipated, I took a moment to admire my work. A moment, however, that I did not have. Unfortunately, the First Cohort did not completely devote their forces to the ambush. Behind the gates was a clearing, separating the gates from the actual fort. To my displeasure, the clearing was filled with a good 20 demigods armed with weapons. Scorpion ballistae were mounted on the fort, so flying was out of the option, unless I wanted to become a godly shish kabob. Sure, the injuries healed almost instantly, but getting hit with arrows was like getting a splinter for mortals: small, nasty, and unpleasant. I would have to be content with fighting through the horde of warriors to reach the fort.

Unfortunately, every soldier in the First Cohort was trained like Kent, and they were just as skilled with their weapons. They were arranged in a wedge formation, with the tip pointed straight at me. The half-blood in front looked absolutely brutal, with his spear raised and ready to impale me.

"Say," I said sheepishly. "Why don't we all just set down the weapons and call it a draw?"

"And miss my chance to prove myself against a god? Yeah, right!" the warrior said, and charged straight at me. Thankfully, his eagerness made him careless, and his thrusts were erratic. He jabbed forward, leaving his flank exposed, and I hit him with the hilt of my sword. He fell to the side, and the wind dragged him away. Sadly, the rest of the warriors were not as eager to battle, and they retained their close formation.

"One down, 19 to go." I charged the right side of the wedge, knocking a shield from the formation. I grazed the side of the undefended warrior, and he immediately collapsed, begging for mercy.

"Oh, I am wounded! Please, let me live!" he pleaded. I graciously lifted him on the wind, away from the action, but his supplications were only a ruse. The rest of the formation collapsed in on me, and I was soon surrounded by demigods.

They encircled me with their spears pointed and shields raised. I dropped my sword, feigning defeat.

"Looks like I'm out," I said, raising my arms slowly.

"Wait, don't let him -" I heard Kent shout behind me, apparently having recovered from his crash landing.

"Too late." I smiled, flicked my wrist, and hurricane force winds blasted the ring of Romans down. The warriors with the misfortune to be the closest to me were knocked unconscious. I picked up my sword and cautiously stepped over their limp bodies. The rest of the warriors were stunned, giving me a few precious moments to reach the fort.

The Romans manning the scorpion ballista e were the first to recover, and quickly started firing at me. "Hey, watch it with your little toys!" I shouted, as an arrow firmly implanted itself in my foot. I did my best to blow the incoming arrows away from me, but a few still managed to reach their target.

I was nearly to the front door of the fort when I was blasted with a stream of freezing water. It pushed me back into the mud, and I spluttered and shook, trying to get the water off. "I hate water," I fumed, as a few demigods snickered at the helm of a water cannon. They aimed it to take another shot. "Think it's so funny?" I yelled at them. "Don't you dare take another shot; you'll regret it!" They ignored me, and fired another round of water. As the liquid exited the cannon, I bent the air around it, and the water turned onto the Romans, giving them a nice shower. "Yeah, not so funny now!" I yelled.

I took down the door with a simple hand gesture. The hallway appeared deserted, a welcome sign after fighting through all the Roman demigods. Then, I heard scuttling like claws on the wooden floor, and my heart raced. There was only one thing that made that noise - "scorpions," I said aloud. A massive scorpion came blazing around the corner, and I backed myself up against the wall, making a strangling sound in my throat. Compared to the other things I've fought, scorpions are not that dangerous. However, I've had an irrational fear of them ever since the one day as I child I put my sandals on without looking; it just happened to be the same day a scorpion decided to claim my sandals as home.

The scorpion I was confronting now looked like it was at least four feet long. I flailed my sword wildly at the creature, hoping it would disappear. Needless to say, I missed and only succeeded in aggravating the scorpion more. It hissed, raising its pointed tail high in the air. It started to approach, and my body froze. I tried to attack, then run, but my muscles locked and my eyes were wide with fear. Just as it got close enough to sting, it squealed and disappeared into dust. I saw Kent holding his sword and laughing.

"A scorpion, really? You should've seen the look on your face before I saved you."

"Yeah, gee thanks Kent," I said bitterly, my face red. Rescued by a demigod, now that was embarrassing. "So I'm in your fort, guess I won."

"No, you still have to get our colors," he said.

"Colors? And where would those be?" I asked, eager to get the subject off the scorpion.

"Oh," he started. "Um, gee nowhere here, just don't go into the room upstairs. Definitely don't do that."

I knew it was some sort of trap, but I ran for the stairs anyways, Kent right behind me. I galloped up the stairs and spotted the room immediately. The door was open, and a red flag hung inside. I heard a creak behind me and swiveled my head back. I didn't see anything, but when I looked back to the room, Kent was right in front of me.

"I'm not going to let you win that easily," he said, raising his sword.

"If you insist on losing, so be it," I responded, matching his stance. Our swords clashed, creating a light show of sparks. I tried to jab straight, but he twisted his arm, pushing my sword to the left. I managed to hold on to my weapon, and followed with a thrust to his flank. He defended it just as easily. My annoyance, embarrassment, and anger now fueling my, I pushed him more aggressively. I feigned and turned hitting him in the stomach with the hilt of my sword. I knocked the wind out of him, but I continued to attack and soon had him on the floor, my sword against his neck.

"Guess I've really won now," I said, and he laughed again.

"Rules say gods can't win by themselves, and looks like your last team member was just taken out," he said, gesturing to the outlook on the other side of the room. I looked out across the field, and could just make out a member of the Fourth, falling before about five from the First Cohort.

"So you just baited me until my team was eliminated," I said, annoyed.

"Sounds about right."

"Sounds like you've still got a sword to your throat," I growled. We were supposed to win; I was a god! But I had to give it to Kent, he was pretty good. "You've got spunk, kid," I said with grudging respect, and I sheathed my sword. I helped him up and he dusted himself off.

"Thanks, I get it from my dad."

"I can see the family relation," I said, and we walked back out of the fort.

When we reached the clearing in front of the fort, the First Cohort had already gathered and formed ranks. My curse on the Third Cohort had worn off, and they were slowly making their way towards us. The wounded had been removed by giant eagles, and the survivors from the Fifth, Fourth, and Second accompanied the Third coming to the clearing.

"The games are won; we are the victors by default!" Kent declared after most of the demigods reached the turf. The First and Third Cohorts cheered, while the others muttered in dissent.

"Great job, Leo, you really brought it home," Tyler said sarcastically. He had a black eye, and it looked like someone punched him in the face.

"Yeah, whatever," I mumbled, suddenly interested in the ground.

"I think it's time we got some rest, Romans," Kent said. "Centurions, you will lead your cohorts to their barracks. Muster at 5 tomorrow morning." More grumbling from the demigods. "Aeolus, we've prepared a special place for you in the camp headquarters where you may stay for the night." Kent turned to his cohort to congratulate them. The other cohorts formed ranks and started marching towards the barracks.

"Hey Kent, I want to talk to you about something," I said, walking up to him.

"What is it?" he asked, breaking away from the First Cohort.

"Well I've enjoyed the feast and the games, but I really have to get the sarcophagus. I'm on a bit of a time crunch, you understand."

Kent started to look a bit bothered again. "Oh, um, yeah, we'll take care of that tomorrow. But it's been a busy day, why don't you just take some time to rest? It'll only be a few more hours, then –" he stopped himself suddenly.

"Then what?"

"Er, then we can get you the sarcophagus."

"Right.

The room was well-furnished, with a queen sized bed pushed against the wall. A set of drawers was placed next to it, and fresh bed sheets were provided. A small writing desk stood in the center of the room. A few candles illuminated the room.

My armor transformed into night clothes decorated with moving clouds as I extinguished the candles. I collapsed onto the bed with a sigh. After a busy day of fighting, I was tired. Despite my exhaustion, I laid in bed for a bit, staring at the dark ceiling. My mind was consumed with thoughts of the battle: the thrill of the fight and the disappointment of defeat. My musings slowly turned towards Kronos and the sarcophagus. I felt uneasy about the whole situation. Kent was clearly hiding something, but I couldn't discern what. I fell asleep, enveloped in my thoughts and hoping for some respite. I was not granted a restful evening, however.

_Do not forget_, Kronos' voice rasped. _Do not forget your mission_. I saw only darkness, heard only Kronos.

'I won't fail you,' I tried to say, but I could form no words. In my dream, I began to hear a quiet clattering on the floor. I tried to move away from it, but soon found myself surrounded by walls. The sound slowly grew more intense, becoming a deafening roar of noise. I turned to face it, and saw the visage of my wife, contorted in pain.

A debt.

I sat up in the bed, yelling. A hand quickly wrapped itself around my mouth, only making me shout more.

"Shh!" a voice hissed from the darkness. "They'll hear you!"

My eyes shot open as I probed the darkness, searching for the source of the voice.

"It's Mellie."

I could barely make out the faint figure of the aura in the darkness.

"Mellie? What are you-"

"Please, I don't have much time. They're coming."

"Who's coming?"

"The Romans. Someone tipped them off, they know about Kronos and they're going to capture you. They tricked you into spending the night so they could trap you. They don't have the sarcophagus. You must leave now. They'll be here any moment!"

"How did you know?"

"I heard them talking at dinner, they're going to hand you over to Olympus."

"Wait, Mellie, why are you so eager to help me? I thought you left."

"I did, but, your wife; oh I can't say it now. Aeolus, you'll never forgive me. I'm so sorry, I never meant for it to be like this."

"What about my wife? You must tell me!" I demanded.

"No time, run! Follow the stars to find the sarcophagus!" her figure slowly faded, and i heard voices shouting in the distance.

Did the Romans really know? Who could've told them? I didn't have much time to consider the situation; the voices outside were getting closer. If the Romans really were coming to capture me, my time was running out. I needed to leave, and fast. My night clothes instantly transformed into my travel business clothes. I snapped my fingers, expecting to instantly disappear, but nothing happened. I tried once more, but to no avail. The Romans must've had the room charmed against gods. I needed to get into the open air so I could escape. I heard boots trampling dangerously close, up the stairs, eliminating the door as a possible exit. The only other way out was the window and that had no latches to open it. I threw the chested drawers against the door, in an attempt to buy myself more time. I heard pounding and shouting at the door.

I tossed the chair in desperation from the writing desk at the window, shattering the glass and giving me a small hole to escape through. It was lined with jagged broken glass, but I didn't have the luxury of comfy escapes. I could hear the Romans at the door, making progress against my improvised obstacle. I ran for the broken window and squeezed myself through the hole, cutting myself on the broken edges. I swore as a piece of glass dragged itself through my lower back. Once in the air, though, I was free as a bird. I floated and snapped my fingers, this time getting the desired effect. I disappeared from the camp and into the dark morning sky, and for the third time in a week, I was alone.


End file.
